Lancaster Bus Users' Group

Stagecoach has announced details of amended timetables over the Christmas and New Year period, between 23rd December 2024 and 5th January 2025.

Services will be broadly similar to those in recent years. During this period, services will run to a SATURDAY timetable with the following exceptions:

Despite them being two of the busiest nights of the year for celebrations and “going out for the evening”, most Stagecoach buses will be tucked up in the garage by 19.00hrs on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve (neither of which are public holidays). For some services this means a particularly early shut down, with the last bus on the 51 from Carnforth to Silverdale being at 15.45, returning from Silverdale at 17.08.

The 555 Lancaster-Kendal-Keswick also closes down earlier than last year, with the last bus from Keswick to Lancaster being as early as 14.30 and from Kendal at 16.15. The last northbound buses on this service will be at 14.05 to Keswick and 17.50 to Kendal.

No buses will run on Christmas Day, whilst on Boxing Day a limited daytime-only timetable will be in operation on services 1A 2X 5 6A 41 55 and 100 only.

There will be no buses on New Year’s Day, and a Saturday timetable will be in force on all services on Thursday 2nd, Friday,3rd and Saturday 4th January

Normal service resumes on Sunday 5th January.

For full details of the amended services, including Boxing Day timetables, follow this link.

Details of services provided by Lonsdale Buses will be posted once we receive them.

Following representations from the Bus Users’ Group, passengers and employers on Caton Road, it appears that a compromise has been reached over the proposed withdrawal of stopping places on the Park & Ride service.

Our previous post reported that with effect from today (2 December), following an edict from the county council, passengers would no longer be allowed to use the service to travel to and from anywhere other than the Infirmary, city centre or the Park & Ride site, thus inconveniencing many people using it to get to work at the businesses along Caton Road.

However, Lancashire County Council, which contracts Lonsdale Buses to run the service on its behalf, has confirmed that stops at the Holiday Inn / Lancaster Business Park will remain open to passengers. It is also asking Lonsdale Buses to add the stops in Parliament Street to the registered list of stopping places.

Limited Stops

Notwithstanding a comment made on our previous post, the Council maintains that the service was always intended – and registered – as a limited-stop service and it is still unclear to the Bus Users’ Group when and how local passengers began to be carried.

In an official statement the Council said:

“The Caton Road Park & Ride service is operated by Lonsdale Coaches (sic) under contract to LCC and has operated on the basis of a limited-stop service between the Park & Ride site and the city centre from the outset.

“However, over the years a number of customers (sic) have been using the service to/from the Business Park on Caton Road

“Following concerns raised by them after it was decided to revert back to the original limited-stop arrangement we have agreed with Lonsdale Coaches to include the Business Park stops as official bus stops on the route.”

Separately, the Council has confirmed to the Bus Users’ Group that the full list of stops to be observed is as follows:

On journeys to the Park & Ride site:

Lancaster Royal Infirmary

Queen Square

China Street

Lancaster Bus Station (Stand 4)

“Skerton Bridge” (by which they mean Parliament Street)

Lancaster Business Park (Holiday Inn)

Park & Ride Site.

On journeys towards the Infirmary:

Park & Ride Site

Business Park (Premier Inn)

opposite Sainsbury’s (on North Road)

opposite Infirmary (to set down only)

Lancaster Royal Infirmary.

Unfortunately, the council does not feel able to open up any further stops on Caton Road as it feels this would jeopardise timekeeping on the service.

Compromise

Again notwithstanding the comment on our previous post, the Council has confirmed that the service registration will be amended to reflect the new position and to ensure that online information sites such as Google Maps and Traveline are correct and a revised timetable leaflet will be issued and bus stop displays amended.

Whilst the reason for this change that has caused so much upset remains unclear, LBUG is just pleased that an acceptable compromise has been reached and that passengers can still get to and from their place of work.