Buses of the Night: Special Investigation by Oliver Foreman
First published online 21 July 2010; additions added at end 27 July 2010
Fuddy duddies like me are tucked up in bed long before the clock strikes twelve. However, judging by the increasing number of buses scheduled
in the early hours there must be many people out and about.
I have chosen to examine timetables in a large around where I live. My investigation extends from the City of
Sheffield in the north to the cities of Nottingham and Derby in the south, with a look at the towns that lie between.
My definition of a 'night bus' is a timetabled departure from the centre of a town/city between midnight and 0330. When I say 'Friday and Saturday night' I
really mean 'early Saturday and Sunday morning' but convention (except on the Traveline website) advertises such service after the evening ones,
even though it is strictly the next day. (Wow, do you understand that??)
I have no inside knowledge. I spent a considerable amount of time searching the internet for the required information, some of which
was not easy to find. If I have missed something or got it wrong, please use the
CONTACT page to let me know so that this report may be updated. I apologise
for omissions and errors, but
I suggest those reponsible look into making the information more easily found.
Please also contact me for information about other areas in the UK and further afield.
Let's have more information and your opinions too, from all points of view including potential passengers, platform staff and operators.
I am taking the cities/towns within the area in order of population.
SHEFFIELD Population 439 866
My investigation for night buses brought up . . . nothing, except for a very few six day a week final departures at midnight on First South Yorkshire
buses
(TIMETABLES.)
Most final deparures take place between 2330 and 2350. The trams have a similar pattern
(TIMETABLES).
Stagecoach services tend to finish much earlier
(TIMETABLES).
30 or so years ago as a part-time coach driver I had the misfortune to regularly bring parties to the Sheffield Fiesta night club and spent many hours
kicking my heels in the city centre which in those days really came alive around 1am. The Fiesta has long since closed and perhaps times have changed.
Sheffield is the sixth largest settlement in the UK (Wikipedia
HERE).
I consider my findings (or rather lack of them) even more disappointing when recalling the high priority given to public transport by the Sheffield
authorities in former years.
NOTTINGHAM Population 249 584
Plenty of activity here after the clock strikes 12!
Nottingham City Transport
WEBSITE
SKYLINK (Nottingham - East Midlands Airport) runs 24 hours a day / 7 days a week (hourly between midnight and 0400). What is more, at
the Airport it connects with the other part of SKYLINK (run by Kinchbus) allowing onward travel to Loughborough, Leicester and Derby.
TIMETABLE
All Nottingham City Transport main routes have a midnight city centre departure 6 days a week.
On Friday and Saturday nights, Nottingham City Transport runs a very comprehensive network of night services (8 routes) leaving the City centre at
0115, 0215 & 0315. What is more, the flat fare is just £2 and day and pre-paid tickets are valid. Details
HERE
and bottom of page
HERE.
Trams
TIMETABLE
Monday to Saturday, the last tram departure to Hucknall is at midnight, with two journeys shortly after to Phoenix Park and Shipstone Street.
Trenbarton
WEBSITE
Rainbow 3B (Nottingham - Hucknall - Kirkby - Sutton) has a midnight departure from Nottingham 7 days a week. The last bus on most other main
routes leaves Nottingham between 2300 and 2350 Monday to Saturday.
On Friday and Saturday night there are many extra departures from Nottingham from midnight, but to discover them you have to examine
every timetable. The extra departures are summarised as follows:
Calverton Connection: hourly to 0300 (Calverton); Cotgrave Connection: 0020, 0120 (Cotgrave); Keyworth Connection: hourly to 0230 (Tollerton, Plumtree, Keyworth);
Radcliffe Line: hourly to 0300 (Radcliffe, Bingham); Rainbow 1: every 30 minutes to 0330 (Kimberley, Eastwood, Heanor*); Rainbow 3: Every 30 minutes to 0330 (Hucknall, Kirkby*);
Rainbow 4: hourly to 0300 (Sandiacre); Red Arrow: every 30 minutes to 0330 (Derby); Ruddington Connection: 0010 only (Ruddington); Two:
hourly to 0315 (Ilkeston, Cotmanhay); Pronto (joint service with Stagecoach East Midlands): 0005, 0130, 0300 (Mansfield, Chesterfield*)
* Not every journey serves this place.
Fares are not specified on the website though it is stated in the FAQ's: 'Once the clock has struck twelve, there's a special flat fare on
most night buses. No other prepaid tickets are accepted after midnight'.
I suspect that Nottingham has the best network of weekend night buses in the UK for a city of its size . . . unless you know better!
DERBY Population 229 407
Kinchbus
SKYLINK (Derby - East Midlands Airport - Lougborough - Leicester) runs 24 hours a day / 7 days a week (hourly between midnight and 0630).
What is more, at
the Airport it connects with the other part of SKYLINK (run by Nottingham City Transport) allowing onward travel to Nottingham.
TIMETABLE
Arriva Derby
City services are provided by Arriva Derby. However, final departures on main routes Monday to Saturday are between 2305 & 2345. The
exception is the X38 to Burton, a joint service with Trentbarton. However, the Friday / Saturday evening and night service is provided by Trentbarton (see below).
ARRIVA DERBY TIMETABLES.
Trentbarton
WEBSITE
Trentbarton has several departures from Derby after midnight on a Friday and Saturday night summarised here:
Allestree: 0000 (Allestree, University); Ilkeston Flyer: 0015 (Spondon, Kirk Hallam, Ilkeston); Mickleover: hourly to 0300 (Hospital, Mickleover); Nines: 0030, 0130, 0245
(Ripley, Alfreton); Red Arrow: every 30 minutes to 0300 (Nottingham); Sixes: every hour to 0300 (Belper); Spondon Flyer: hourly to 0300 (Spondon); X38: hourly to 0230
(Burton-on-Trent)
Fares are not specified on the website though it is stated in the FAQ's: 'Once the clock has struck twelve, there's a special flat fare on
most night buses. No other prepaid tickets are accepted after midnight'.
Another impressive performance!
CHESTERFIELD Population 100 879
Final Monday to Saturday departures on Stagecoach in Chesterfield's main routes take place between 2225 and 2315.
(TIMETABLES)
However, on PRONTO (joint service between Stagecoach East Midlands and Trentbarton, the latter doing all the night journeys) there are departures on Friday and Saturday
nights from Stephenson Place (centre of Chesterfield) at 0005 & 0135 to Mansfield and Nottingham, and 0300 to Mansfield. Details
HERE
on www.prontobus.co.uk.
(Note that at the time of writing [12 July 2010] neither the Stagecoach in Chesterfield website nor Trentbarton website show the latest timetables.)
MANSFIELD Population 98 181
Monday to Saturday last departures from Mansfield Bus Station by Stagecoach in Mansfield and Trentbarton take place between 2215 & 2306
However, on a Friday and Saturday night Stagecoach in Mansfield run five routes from Leeming Street (close to the night clubs), each having hourly departures
between midnight and 0300. They go way beyond the Mansfield boundary, serving many towns including Sutton, Huthwaite, Kirkby (N1); Woodhouse, Warsop, Meden Vale (N11);
Clipstone, Edwinstowe, Ollerton (N15); Pleasley, Shirebrook, Langwith (N23); Rainworth, Blidworth (N28). Details
HERE.
In addition to the above, on a Friday & Saturday night Pronto runs from Mansfield Bus Station to Chesterfield at 0045 & 0210; and to Nottingham at
0045 & 0215. Details
HERE.
On all the above special flat fares are charged and no other passes/tickets are accepted.
Not bad for a town of its size! In fact, possibly the best in the UK . . . or do you know differently?
WORKSOP Population 39 072 and RETFORD Population 21 314
In considering the night buses above, most of the small towns to the west of the area get a mention, being served by departures from the bigger towns and cities.
However, the two Bassetlaw towns on the eastern side, Worksop and Retford, so far have not had a look in.
WORKSOP's last Monday to Saturday departures take place between about 2200 and 2345, so no night buses. (See
HERE.)
RETFORD does not have any Monday to Saturday evening departures except for the X29 to Robin Hood Airport EXCEPT on a Saturday . . .
the Nite Life Express runs to and from Doncaster (departing Doncaster 0215). It is run by Wilfreda Beehive who do not even list it on their website!
(HERE.) However, it may be
found on the Nottinghamshire County Council webssite (near he bottom of the list)
HERE.
So there we have it. From my findings (and I am open to correction) if you want a bus in the early hours you are more likely to catch one
at a bus stop towards the south of the area being considered.
Please tell me of errors and omissions, and about the night buses where YOU live, by using the
CONTACT page.
Oliver Foreman
Extra information:
John Cooper writes (added to website 27 July 2010):
Night Buses Liverpool
An extensive network of night buses Liverpool to suburbs has gradually been abandoned leaving only 5 services operating to outside Liverpool.
N5 Liverpool to Runcorn - 2 journeys to Runcorn, no return journeys; limited stop operation
N23 Liverpool to Moreton Cross - 30 min headway; returns to Liverpool by a different route; 6 full journeys and 2 returning from Moreton to
Laird Street Depot only.
N37 Liverpool to West Kirby - 30 min headway; 8 journeys to West Kirby, 1 extended to Hoylake; 2 journeys Hoylake to Liverpool
otherwise no return journeys.
N51 Liverpool to Spital Cross Roads - 60 min headway; 4 journeys to Spital, no return journeys.
N450 Liverpool to New Brighton - 15 minute headway; 12 full journeys and 4 terminating at Liscard on return from New Brighton.
From Liverpool operates via Birkenhead Tunnel returns via Wallasey tunnel.
Probably reflecting reducing patronage single deck operation is increasing while 2 years or so ago all buses were double deck.
Independent operators have in the past operated competing services but they have now withdrawn.
150 Liverpool to Birkenhead - Falling outside your criteria is the descendent of the original night bus and operation is
enshrined in the Act of Parliament that allowed termination of the night service by Birkenhead Ferries and is now subsidised by Merseytravel.
30 minute headway with 3 journeys from Liverpool starting 0400 on Saturday morning and 2 journeys starting 0430 on Sunday. Weekdays 30 min
headway 0030 to 0500. This operated every night except Christmas until Arriva introduced N450.
The original service was operated between the main entrances of the Birkenhead Tunnel by Birkenhead and Liverpool Corporations for alternate
months. Fares were paid at the tunnel toll booths.
The present service leaves Liverpool via the Wallasey Tunnel and returns via the Birkenhead Tunnel.
Timetables are available on the Mersytravel website
HERE.