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Lonsdale Buses announces new services and new buses!
Three of the new Volvo buses that have joined the fleet. Photo (c) Lonsdale Buses Lonsdale Buses has announced two new bus services that will start on 27th October.
Service 83 will link Brookhouse, Caton, Halton, Skerton, Torrisholme and Morecambe every hour, six-days-a-week. The new service restores the link between Brookhouse and Morecambe that disappeared during the County Council’s cutbacks in 2016. It also brings back the longstanding and much-missed link between Skerton and Morecambe, which Stagecoach broke when it diverted service 2 via Scale Hall Lane to avoid the railway bridge following its conversion to double-deck operation in 2019.
Service 83 will restore a service along Torrisholme Road withdrawn when service 2 was diverted after being converted to double-deck operation and renumbered to “100” in 2019. Between Halton and Skerton the new service will run via Whalley Road, thus restoring a bus service to yet another stretch of road abandoned in recent years by Stagecoach. The Bus Users’ Group was pleased to have been invited to submit ideas as to how the service could best benefit local residents.
Service 85, which we understand will be linked operationally to the 83, will run from Morecambe Bus Station to Carnforth and will also have an hourly frequency on Monday to Saturday. This service will complement – or compete with – Stagecoach service 5, which runs from Overton to Carnforth via Morecambe.
The Bus Users’ Group has not been involved in the development of this service and its’ utility wil very much depend on how the timings of individual journeys relate to those provided by Stagecoach.
No Subsidy Involved
Both services are commercial operations and receive no subsidy from the county council or anyone else. Their success therefore very much depends on how much use local people make of them. Lonsdale Buses says on its website that the new services have been made possible by the arrival of four new buses in its fleet, although the Bus Users’ Group feels that the loss of the contract to operate services 88 and 89 between Lancaster and Knott End from the same date may also have been a factor.
New Vehicles
The four new buses, three of which were put on the road at the beginning of September, are all Volvo B8RLE’s equipped with the latest low-emission diesel engines and fitted with the “Next Stop” audio-visual announcement systems that are now required on all new buses. They join seven similar buses to have been delivered in the last couple of years that have given the company’s fleet a modern image.
The company is promising “new ticketing options” and more information about times and routes of the new services, which will be posted on its website (and on ours) as soon as they are available.
You can read what Lonsdale Buses has to say about the new buses and services here.
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“Confusing Times”: The Council’s Response
Earlier this month we published a post criticising the style, content and accuracy of some of Lancashire County Council’s roadside information displays. (Read again here).
The Council was offered the right to reply, which we are happy to publish here.
There are currently around 8,000 bus stops within the Lancashire County Council area, approximately 40% of which have timetable information though the council is expanding this facility.
The basis of the printed displays are the registrations that are received from the operators, in this case, the network serving Lancaster University is significant. As such, the levels of service do change significantly, and the destination of services are impacted. This is not a unique case across the county council, but the volume of journeys impacted in Lancaster is more substantial. Unfortunately, in this case, when using the registration provided by the operator, a higher number of codes for impacted journeys are being generated. As a result, the displays produced have a considerable number of departure times with notes.
Once the stop displays are produced, they are sent to print internally. The team of inspectors then take them out to the site with a 6-day window to try and complete the posting of the information. It is important to note, that when there are a significant number of changes being made, this can take longer and therefore not all stops will be update within the window.
We understand that the current arrangement doesn’t always produce the best possible outcome for passengers. We have reviewed the data, as a result of LDBUG raising the issue, and have produced some test displays. It has required a reworking of the registered journeys; we have split the journeys by university term time and holidays so that they are treated as separate services by the system. This has greatly reduced the number of departure times with codes. We will look to introduce these to the roadside as and when resources permit.
There are several impacts in doing this, one is the amount of time taken to rework the registration. The second one is the size of the cases on the route and the increased size of the displays with some now requiring two or even three pages. We will only be able to assess the impact once the revised displays are produced and inserted in the cases. We can assure LDBUG, going forward, we will mark the registrations for services 1/1A and 100 as requiring the extra work, to make sure we make the displays as clear as possible. In the longer term we are looking to update the software used to be able to create a more bespoke display for those stops that require them.
Additionally, Lancashire County Council has committed funding from the Bus Grant from HM Government to introduce brand-new Real Time Information displays throughout Lancashire. The initial tranche of signage is scheduled to commence in September 2025. Within Lancaster district this includes Carnforth town centre; key stops in Heysham and Morecambe and the Lancaster Infirmary stops.
Lancashire County Council
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Contract tendering brings changes of operator to two local services
The results of the tendering process for local bus contracts to start on 26th October, recently published by Lancashire Council Council, reveal some changes to Lancaster area services. The council is required by law to seek fresh tenders for contracted bus services from time to time and as a result two local routes will see a change of operator later this year.
Service 18, the “East City Circular”, currently operated by Stagecoach, will be run by Lonsdale Buses on Monday to Saturday, although the Sunday service will remain with Stagecoach. The Bus Users’ Group has a particular interest in this service dating back to 2015, when Lonsdale, then trading as “Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire” reduced its commercial service over the route to just five journeys a day. The County Council at the time claimed that it had no money to pay for the full service to be continued, but the Bus Users’ Group, working with local city councillors, uncovered a fund of over £500,000 in “developer contributions” paid by the developers of new housing in the area that was intended to not only support the bus service, but actually to enhance it.
Members of the Group, together with Stagecoach managers and local councillors at the launch of the revived service 18 at Williamson Park in 2017 Mich of the funding had been diverted to other projects and it was only after a lengthy campaign, involving Lancaster City Councillor Tim Hamilton-Cox and County Councillors, Gina Dowding and Lizzi Collinge and with the help of Cat Smith MP that the County Council could be persuaded to put what money was left to the purpose for which it was intended. The contract for the revived service, which began in 2017, was awarded to Stagecoach, which has operated it successfully ever since.
Services 88 and 89 Lancaster to Knott End
Stagecoach buses will return to Glasson Dock when the new contract starts in October These services change hands in the opposite direction, with operation passing from Lonsdale Buses to Stagecoach. Co-incidentally, Lonsdale Buses (then Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire) took over the route from Stagecoach at about the same time as service 18 changed hands, although the “Stagecoach” involved was actually Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancs, which ran the service from its Fleetwood depot. This time round the service will be run by Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancs from its Morecambe depot.
Service 89 is the long-standing route between Lancaster and Knott End, with service 88 being added in 2023 using Bus Service Improvement Plan funding to provide a link to Garstang from the villages served.
Other services
The tendering exercise included new contracts for service 8 and 9 in Lancaster, service 51 between Carnforth and Silverdale, the evening service on the 81, and the Sunday services on the 7, 10, 11, 18, 81, and 82 although none of these contracts has changed hands.
Two services will be split between operators. Service 18 will be run by Stagecoach on Sunday and Lonsdale Buses the rest of the week, and Stagecoach will continue to provide the evening service on the 81 to supplement the daytime journeys run by Lonsdale Buses.
What does it all cost?
The county council is required to publish the results of the tendering process from which it is possible to gain an idea of how much money is required to sustain non-commercial bus routes in the county.
The annual value of the six contracts comes to just over £1,000,000, ranging from £37,000 for the Sunday service on the 7,10,11 and 18 to £588,000 for the Lancaster to Knott End service. The actual cost to the county council is lower than this, as in most cases all income accruing to the services from passengers’ fares and concessionary pass reimbursement is deducted. The Council also receives Bus Operators’ Support Grant for contract services from central government, which in 2025/6 totalled £1.87m for the whole county.
The document “Tender Results for Local Bus Services 2025” is available on this link.
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LONSDALE BUSES REMOVES THROUGH FARES
Buses will continue to run through to Skipton, but passengers must re-book Some passengers using bus services between Lancaster, Settle and Skipton will see an increase in their fares from 1st September. Here’s why.
Complicated.
The cross-country bus service between Lancaster and Skipton, run by Lonsdale Buses, is operated in a curious way. Legally, it is three separate services: Lancaster-Kirkby Lonsdale / Kirkby Lonsdale – Settle / and Settle – Skipton, with each section having a different service number, either 81/82, 581 or 580. One reason for this is that by keeping the services separate in this way they can be operated under the less-restrictive rules on the hours that bus drivers can work that apply to bus routes less than 50km in length. It also means that the buses themselves do not need to be fitted with tachographs. This is a common practice throughout the country with longer bus routes, although in most cases the same service number is used on each section.
The financial arrangements are complicated too. Lancashire County Council provides support for the 81/82 north of Hornby, the Kirkby Lonsdale – Settle service is supported by North Yorkshire Council, whilst the remaining sections are run commercially by the bus company.
Through Fares
Despite these complications, the buses have continued to run a through service between Lancaster and Skipton and to all intents and purposes it has been regarded as a through route. Lancashire’s timetable and the Dales Bus website market the route as the “Craven Connection” and at one time this branding was carried by at least one bus used on the service.
The “Craven Connection” at Settle in 2016 Fares
From its inception as a through service there were through fares. In 2018, for example, a single ticket from Lancaster to Skipton cost £9.90, with a return just 10p more at £10. However, in recognition of the fact that it is legally three separate routes, holders of concessionary bus passes were required to re-present their cards to the driver at Kirkby Lonsdale and Settle on every journey.
When the government’s English National Fares Cap was introduced in January 2023 it reduced the fare to £2, which was increased to £3 in January this year. A journey from Lancaster to Skipton then cost just 30% of what it did in 2018.
Everyone to re-book
The £3 fare cap means that bus companies cannot increase most of their fares to meet rising costs and must rely on compensation payments from the government for participating in what is a voluntary scheme.
Lonsdale Buses has now decided that the economics of operating these services means it must now treat them as separate as far as the fares cap is concerned, just as it does with concessionary passes. From 1st September, passengers making through journeys will have to re-book at Kirkby Lonsdale and/or Settle and pay a maximum of £3 each time. A journey from Lancaster to Settle will cost a total of £6 and to Skipton £9.
In a statement on it’s website the company explained that it is developing a “Day Saver” ticket that will reduce the cost for passengers making longer journeys, although it is unclear whether this will be launched before the changes take effect.
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Confusing Times
New timetables have brought confusion to the bus stop displays on the 1 1A and 100 Lancashire County Council deserves praise for the comprehensive provision of information at bus stops throughout its area. Most stops on main routes and many on minor services have displays containing lists of the departure times of buses and their destinations.
With several thousand bus stops to look after, it’s obvious that the council needs to use an automated system to produce the displays, but it’s a pity that the system chosen is inflexible and apparently not geared to tailoring the displays to local conditions. The system is also designed to produce extremely comprehensive information – some times too much so – and therefore falls foul of one of the golden rules of information provision – you can be comprehensive or comprehensible – but not both – and Lancashire errs on the side of comprehensiveness!
Service Revisions Cause Confusion
One feature of Lancaster’s bus services that does not apply throughout Lancashire is the timetable variations between University terms and holidays. In the holidays, service 1 from Heysham terminates at the Bus Station rather than the University and service 1A is similarly curtailed in the evenings and on Sundays. At the start of the current holiday period Stagecoach brought about further complication by a swop of routes within the campus that only applies during the holidays: service 100, which previously served the stops in the south of the campus including the Graduate College, is cut back to the central Underpass stop, whilst service 1A is extended in its place. In a classic example of the Law of Unintended Consequences the move has brought much complication – and hence confusion to the county council’s bus stop displays.
The following display is from the stop at the Infirmary, but similar ones will be found along the A6 or Bowerham Road towards the University. The first thing to notice is that the 1 and the 1A are treated as completely separate services. This is despite the fact that the difference between them is a route variation in Heysham. Between the bus station and the University they follow exactly the same route and to all intents and purposes they are one service, but one that requires passengers to consult two departure lists to see the full picture.
Service 1A
Let’s look at the 1A in more detail
The first thing to notice is that every journey comes with a qualification: On Mondays to Fridays this is either UTMF or UTH; on Saturdays and Sundays UT or UTH. The “Notes” explain that UT = University Term time; UTH = University Holidays and UTMF also means “University Term Time”! The “MF” part of this last code is not explained, but presumably means “Mondays to Fridays”, but quite why that is necessary for a departure list headed “Mondays to Fridays” is unclear. Also, if “UT” stands for “University Term time”, shouldn’t the code for University Holidays be “UH” – what does the “T” stand for here?
Journey Duplication
But are these qualifications necessary in the first place? Every departure is shown twice, one bus runs during term time and the other in the holidays – at exactly the same times! The BUG suspects that because the 1A follows different routes through the campus according to whether it is term time or not, the system treats it as two completely different services. The UTH departures have an additional code (7) which explains that the journey “continues to Lancaster University Graduate College”. But all service 1A buses run to “Lancaster University” and the system doesn’t feel it necessary to explain where on the campus the “UTHMF” journeys terminate. The system is being “comprehensive” but not “comprehensible”!
A simpler and more easily understandable display would merely list each departure time just once, with the 1 and 1A shown together and with no qualification other than a note somewhere to explain the different routings according to time of year.
Service 100
Turning now to the 100.
Once again, every journey is shown twice, but on Mondays to Fridays, unlike the 1A, the code UTMF is not used. Journeys are coded “UT- University Terms” or “UTH – University Holidays” Every UTH journey has an additional note: (8) explaining that it “terminates at Lancaster University, Underpass” although as the service header just describes the terminus as “Lancaster University” one wonders how many passengers understand the significance of the note.
Again for simplicity, if it is really necessary to say so, each journey could be shown just once, with a code to explain that “In University Holidays this journey terminates at the Underpass, not the Graduate College”
Rubbish In…..?
Any automated system is only as good as the data it is given to work with and unfortunately it is not just Stagecoach’s service changes that are causing confusion. Let’s have a look at the Saturday service on the 100 in more detail:
At first glance it appears to be a very frequent service, albeit with some departures very close to one another. The duplication between term times and holiday departures doesn’t help, but that is not all that is misleading.
Comparison with the public timetables issued by Stagecoach reveals the following:
- The journeys shown at 0804 0816 0834 0849 0901 0916 0931 0947 0959 1020 and 1035 are not in the timetable and presumably do not exist!
- Every journey between 1054 and 1824 and at 2017 and 2037 is shown twice – once to say that it terminates at the Underpass in Holidays and once with no qualification at all.
- The journeys at 1854 1924 1938 2007 2100 2118 2138 2207 2218 2238 2307 2318 2338 and crucially, the “last bus” at 0007 are not in the timetable and presumably do not exist!
The nett result of there errors is that what appears to be a very generous service of 100 buses per Saturday is, in practice one of just 49 journeys with the last departure of the day operating ten minutes earlier than shown.
…and on the 1A
There is also a problem with the Saturday times on the 1A in the evenings. A departure is shown at 1843 which is the only one of the day NOT to be coded “UT” This does not correspond with the printed timetable booklet that shows it, along with all the others, as running Term Time only. More seriously, after 1933 the times shown do not correspond in any way with Stagecoach timetables, right up to the last bus which supposedly leaves at 0028, eight minutes after Stagecoach says it runs!
Service 1 as well
Service 1 only operates south of the city during University terms (“UT” or perhaps “UTMF”), but here’s what the bus stop displays show:
The service header shows it as running between “Heysham” and “Lancaster University”, which in term times is what it does. So why does every journey have a code (9) to say that it “Continues to Lancaster University, Uni Underpass, by.” “Continues to from where?!
More seriously, every journey is marked with “Sch” to mean “Schooldays only”. Lancaster residents may not know exactly when University terms begin and end (another problem with the displays) but they do know that they are different to school terms. Lancashire’s system does recognise that the Saturday service runs “UT” or “University Term Time” rather than “Schooldays”, presumably because it doesn’t expect Saturday to be a school day.
Pedantry…and the missing night bus
The 1A departure lists (see image above) include a journey on Monday to Friday at 0020 and on Saturday at 0028 (although this latter is incorrect). They are shown at the end of the operating day. But any time after midnight is, strictly speaking, part of the following day’s service, so the buses actually run on Tuesday to Sunday mornings! LBUG realises that this is being pedantic and that nobody who is capable of being out and about at that time of night is likely to misunderstand. But just when does the “day” change? Would a journey at 0100 be shown at the end of the day or the beginning; how about 0230 or 0345?
For the avoidance of doubt, we would suggest that such journeys be shown at both the end of the day and at the beginning of the next one. So the 0020 on “Saturday” would be shown at the end of the Saturday timetable as well as at the beginning of the Sunday one.
Following discussions with LBUG, Stagecoach now shows its N1 “Night Bus” service as operating “Early Hours Tuesday to Thursday” or “Early hours Friday to Sunday”
We feel this is a reasonable compromise that is correct enough to satisfy us pedants and at the same time is actually helpful to the travelling public.
We were interested to see how LCC treated this on its bus stop display at the Infirmary, but we can’t tell you, because the N1 is completely missing from the display.
Bus companies are unusual in relying on third parties, in this case Lancashire County Council, to maintain their “shop window” publicity. The BUG understands that they are required to make a contribution towards the costs incurred by the council but we wonder whether they ever check to see that they are getting their money’s worth.
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School Bus Changes
Stagecoach has announced changes to two services that mainly affect buses around school and college start and finish times.
From 31st August 2025, Service 5 Overton – Morecambe – Carnforth will have a new timetable. The changes are around school times and are aimed at improving reliability.
Also from that date there will be a new timetable for services 40 40C and 41 Lancaster – Garstang – Preston. The changes are mainly in the morning and afternoon peak periods and will cater for changes to start and finish times at Preston College, although a number of other adjustments to improve reliability will be made at the same time.
No other changes are expected during August.
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Stagecoach Fares to Rise
In what appears to be a co-ordinated move across much of the Stagecoach Group, bus fares are set to rise in July.
The government’s national £3 fare cap restricts bus companies’ ability to increase fares, but it does still allow some scope, especially with daily and weekly tickets that are not covered by the cap.
Locally, Stagecoach says that its £2 fare will rise to £2.10 and journeys priced at £2.30 will rise to £2.40 but that there will be no other changes to single fares and the £3 cap remains in place.
The company claims that most customers will not see a change to the fare they pay, but the popular Bay Area DayRider ticket, which currently operates as a surrogate day return for many passengers, will increase from £5.70 to £6 and will no longer offer a discount over two capped single fares. The Lancashire Day Ticket, which covers a wider area, remains at £10 and the North West Explorer , covering Lancashire, Cumbria and into Scotland and Northumbria has also been frozen at £12.
Child and Young Person Fares
Child and Young Person (under-19) fares are also going up, with slightly higher increases in percentage terms to bring them up to 2/3rds of the Adult fare. The £1.30 and £1.50 child fares both increase by 10p
Despite the steadily diminishing number of passengers paying in cash, bus companies still feel the need to round-up fares to the next 10p to reduce the need to handle change, which inevitably means higher percentage increases for some fares. A major victim this time is the Child and Young Person DayRider, which rises from £4 to £4.30 – a 7.5% increase compared to the 5.3% applied to the adult ticket, both increases being above the prevailing level of inflation.
Weekly Tickets
The 7-day Bay Area MegaRider is increased by £1 to a new rate of £22 but still offers a substantial discount over paying day or single fares. The North West Gold MegaRider also goes up by £1 to £37.
When?!
In a move that makes it look as if Stagecoach desperately needs the money, the increase comes into effect on 16 July – a Wednesday! It appears that the days when new fares were introduced on a Sunday, to give drivers and passengers a chance to get used to them on a quieter day of the week, are long gone and perhaps, in the days of payment by card, phone or app, no longer necessary.
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Lonsdale Buses updates its website
After a lengthy period during which the Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire website was not updated, leading to the display of out-of-date information, including timetables, the company now has a new site, which reflects its current “Lonsdale Buses” branding.
Designed in a similar way to the company’s app launched earlier this year, the site includes details of timetables and fares (although not ordinary single and return fares) along with details of its coach hire operation and a contact form for more information. Also included is a map based “live times” page, although when the Bus Users’ Group attempted to use this it still appeared to be at a developmental stage. The site is illustrated with images of the company’s buses, some of which were supplied by the Bus Users’ Group.
Minor Issues
Although there seem to be one or two minor issues to be ironed out, it is good to see an up-to-date website from Lancaster’s “other” bus operator to complement Stagecoach.
Whilst it would be better still if someone – the “Enhanced Partnership” perhaps? – could develop a unified site that held ALL bus related information in one place, the new site is a great improvement on what was there before.
To access the site, go to https://klch.co.uk from where you can use the contact form to supply feedback (to Lonsdale Buses, not the Bus Users’ Group!) and please note that the old address: www.klch.co.uk no longer works.
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Combating confusion in Cockerham
For a small village with a modest bus service, catching a bus in Cockerham is not always as easy as you might think. The regulars have no problem of course, they’ve been using buses for years and know where they go – and where they stop – but what about newcomers, visitors and those non-bus using residents that might be tempted to give the bus service a try?
Cockerham has two bus services – the 88 and 89. Both run from Lancaster to Knott End-on-sea with the 89 taking the direct route along the A588 and Pilling and the 88 going the longer way round on the B5272 to serve Garstang; the two routes diverging just south of the Manor Inn in the centre of the village as shown on the map below.
Passengers travelling south from Cockerham have no problems. The stop outside the Manor Inn is served by both routes and is equipped with a display case giving departure times for both the 88 and 89.
Going north isn’t so easy. Buses on service 89 call at a stop on the A588 just south of its junction with the B5272 shown below.
The “Manor Inn” stop for service 89 towards Lancaster The stop is adapted for level-access boarding and equipped with a display case and “bus stop clearway” markings, looking for all the world as if it is the main stop for northbound buses. However,assuming a would-be passenger checks the display case he or she would find that it contains only the times of service 89 and has nothing to inform passengers about where the other half of the village’s buses to Lancaster might stop.
In fact, service 88 buses call at the stop on the B5272, also called “Manor Inn” but just out of sight of the A588 stop.
Service 88 stop on the B5272 This stop has neither level-access boarding, nor a display case, but just to add to the confusion it has a sticker advising that it is for “School services only” – a hangover from before service 88 was introduced in August 2023.
The Third Stop
What passengers for Lancaster need to know is that there is a third stop – back on the A588 but just out of sight around the bend – and called “Rectory Gardens”
Rectory Gardens: The stop for all buses to Lancaster This is now the timing point for northbound buses, but despite this there is no display case to show the departure times. Neither does it have level-access boarding. The lack of a display here and at the B5272 Manor Inn stop means that nowhere in the village is there a display of northbound service 88 bus times.
There is no corresponding southbound stop at Rectory Gardens. At the time the northbound stop was established there would have been nowhere to place one, as the fields opposite came right down to the road, and there was no footpath or anywhere safe for passengers to board or alight. However, since August 2023 the “Estuary Hill” housing development of 25 homes, mostly 2 or 3 bed properties, has sprung up opposite the new stop and a footway has been provided along the A588 making it possible to provide a southbound stop. We suggested to the county council that it should do so.
County Council Response
Responsibility for bus stops and bus stop information lies with Lancashire County Council and to its credit, once the situation in Cockerham was brought to its attention we had an immediate response in which they agreed:
1 A display case for departure times would be provided at the Manor Inn stop on B5272 and the notice about school services would be removed.
2. A display case will be provided at the Rectory Gardens stop
3. Consideration will be given to providing a southbound stop at Rectory Gardens to serve the new development.
The problem of the bus stops at the Manor Inn not referring passengers to the “other” buses available is apparently rather harder to resolve. The council’s system of producing departure lists for stops appears somewhat inflexible and it apparently does not have the resources to provide bespoke solutions in cases such as this. Nevertheless it has promised to see whether anything can be done that would not impact on staff resources.
The Bus Users’ Group realises that the problems identified may not be the most urgent facing bus users in Lancashire and they will affect only a small number of people, but we see it as part of our role to seek such minor improvements and to resolve problems that those in authority may not always have the time to identify and resolve by themselves.
We would therefore wish to place on record our appreciation of the council’s response and hope that this is shared by the bus passengers of Cockerham village.
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Changes to University Services
Service 100 will no longer serve Alexandra Park during the week in the University holidays. Sunday, 29th June sees the start of “University Holidays” timetables on Stagecoach services to Lancaster University. This year however, as well as the usual reductions to services 1, 4 and X4, there are more significant revisions affecting the Alexandra Park section of the campus.
Service 100 will, during university holidays, be curtailed to operate only as far as the University Underpass, whilst the 1/1A will be extended around the Alexandra Park loop in its place as announced by Lancashire County Council on its website. It is not clear from the council website, but the Bus Users’ Group understands that these changes to the 1/1A and 100 will apply on Monday to Saturday only. On Sunday, when the 1A doesn’t serve the University at all during the holidays, the 100 will continue over its full route includingh Alexandra Park.
The county council does not spell out the implications of the change, which are that are that as service 1 is itself cut back to operate only between Heysham and Lancaster City Centre in the holidays, the daytime service to Alexandra Park on the 1A is reduced from the current four buses per hour on the 100 to three. During the evenings there will be no service at all between the city centre and Alexandra Park other than occasional journeys on services 41 to Preston and 42 to Blackpool.
Stagecoach may feel that reducing the service to the largely residential part of the campus during times when fewer students are likely to be living there is a sensible economy, but it introduces an extra layer of complexity into timetables that are already complicated and difficult to sell to the travelling public, especially those that have no connection with the university and no knowledge of term and holiday dates.
JOIN US
Membership is open everyone and the subscription is £5 per annum (£2 for Bus Pass holders and students).
You can join either by
- Sending a cheque made payable to Lancaster Bus Users Group to Steve Clarke, 75 Spruce Avenue, Lancaster LA1 5UB together with your full name and contact details
- E-mailing office@lancasterbususers.com and asking for details of how to pay us directly by bank transfer
- Coming along to one of our meetings and paying there by cash or cheque.
- Meeting dates are shown on the left hand sidebar of this site.
Lancaster Bus Users' Group 