Buses in Milton Keynes
Encyclopedia
The Buses in Milton Keynes
and the services they operate, have a varied history involving five different companies. At the foundation of the 'New City' in 1967 and for some years afterwards, Milton Keynes was served by a rural bus service between and to the pre-existing towns. Apart from a small-scale experimental service, urban buses arrived on the scene with deregulation, in 1986. Since April 2010, most services are provided by Arriva MK Star. Long-distance services also serve the city, often via the nearby Milton Keynes Coachway
located near Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway
.
, who acquired independent MK Metro
in 2006. The operation is branded as Arriva MK Star. Other companies including On A Mission Coaches and Grant Palmer also operate services entirely within the Milton Keynes urban area
.
Bus services within Milton Keynes are complemented by a frequent train service between the major centres of Wolverton
, Central Milton Keynes
and Bletchley, operated by London Midland
. A less frequent hourly train service also links Bletchley to Fenny Stratford
, Bow Brickhill
and Woburn Sands
Monday-Saturday.
. Depots in Bletchley and Stony Stratford
were used until 1983, when they were replaced by a new depot in the city centre. The services were operated with a mixture of double-decker buses and some large single-deck vehicles according to the historical rural bus service model. Although they were relatively frequent and ran for most of the day, buses could not easily serve new developments as the roads were not wide enough. When it was designed, the city had been intended for every household to own a car. Bus priority schemes did not exist, and stops were often sited away from population centres, although no house was more than 400 metres from a stop. New services were often poorly used in their early years as development in each area of the city built up over time, and such routes required significant subsidies. This was partially offset by the low running costs encountered when running on the trunk roads around the city.
One area in which operations were successful was fares. A zonal system was operated with five single fares. A multi-journey ticket named Quad was offered, offering four single journeys of any length at a lower cost, and by the early 1980s was the most popular ticket in the city. Around 60% of tickets were sold off-bus. Subsidies for loss-making services were provided by Buckinghamshire County Council
and Milton Keynes City Council. In its later years, the operation traded under the Citybus name. A new depot and bus station close to Milton Keynes Central railway station
were built in 1983 at a combined cost of £6.5 million. However, the depot proved larger than required for the fleet, and the bus station was rarely used as it was not well sited for the city centre.
In 1986 United Counties was split into smaller divisions in readiness for bus deregulation
, and Milton Keynes depot formed a new company, Milton Keynes Citybus.
decided in 1973 to adopt and adapt the American Dial-a-ride concept, initially in Woughton Parish. According to this system, users who needed transport could call a central dispatch office and have a nearby (radio-controlled) Mercedes-Benz
mini-bus diverted to the caller's street. The service began in 1975. Operation of the service was contracted to the incumbent operator, United Counties, which chose to operate it under its existing agreements with drivers. The service did not survive long.
In November 1992 Milton Keynes Citybus was taken over by Cambus Holdings Ltd. The three offshoots were merged under the Road Car name, and the operation was expanded at the expense of the main company. New liveries were also introduced in 1993, with Citybus becoming red and cream and Road Car green and white. The company was officially renamed MK Metro in 1994, but this was not used as a fleet name.
in late 1995. An investigation by the Office of Fair Trading
concluded that this had led to an unacceptable monopoly of bus operations in Cambridgeshire, Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire. Stagecoach was ordered to sell the Milton Keynes and Huntingdon operations to avoid the deal being referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The OFT also stipulated that both depots must be sold to the same buyer.
Milton Keynes Citybus was purchased on 2 May 1997 by bus entrepreneur Julian Peddle
, using a new Premier Buses Ltd company both to operate in Huntingdon and as a holding company with which to purchase Milton Keynes Citybus. The Milton Keynes operation was rebranded as MK Metro with a bright yellow and blue livery. Peddle was unable to fund new vehicles for both companies, and sold Premier to Blazefield in 1998.
In the nine years that MK Metro was owned by Peddle ridership increased by 120% and the company became profitable. Between 1998 and 2003 passenger numbers rose by 63% following the introduction of new buses and ticketing schemes. It became part of his Status Bus & Coach mini-group - an attempt to coordinate the resources of small independents to save money - at its formation in 1999, but the group proved largely unsuccessful and had broken up by 2004.
were purchased by Arriva for £5.6 million, and operational control transferred to the Arriva Shires & Essex
division. Peddle cited disagreement between authorities as a major factor in his decision to sell the company. The purchase was considered by the Office of Fair Trading
for possible referral to the Competition Commission, but it was decided not to do so.
The Milton Keynes operation continued to use the MK Metro name until April 2010, when they were rebranded as Arriva Milton Keynes (temporarily using the brand name MK Star). The change of name coincided with a number of controversial service changes. Some services were in fact improved in frequency as part of the rebranding but others were reduced or even eliminated, and some journey times were increased.
in 1986 there have been some competing companies in Milton Keynes, although it has seen less competition than most cities. London-based R&I Tours began competing with Milton Keynes Citybus in 1992 using the trading name Inter MK. They operated 10 single-deck buses, mostly Leyland National
s in a two-tone blue livery, on a small number of routes in the city. They withdrew from the city in 1994 and were subsequently taken over by MTL.
In November 2009 a new competing route 44 between Central Milton Keynes and Lakes Estate was launched by coach company On A Mission. It was later extended across Milton Keynes to Wolverton
, and also included a single school bus journey. However, the company collapsed on August 2, 2010 and the route no longer operates. The school bus journey is to be replaced by a tendered route.
Another competing service is provided by Aylesbury
-based independent Redline, who compete with Arriva on route 7 between Bletchley and Wolverton. Evening and Sunday services on this route are provided by two small operators based in Aylesbury, Red Rose Travel and Z&S International; both also operate a small number council contracted routes in the city. Dunstable
-based Grant Palmer also operate contracted routes in the area.
and Stagecoach East
. Other long-distance services use Milton Keynes Coachway
as an interchange point for the city.
at a combined frequency of half-hourly. This pattern began in February 2009; prior to then only route 100 had operated over the entire length of the route, with an hourly frequency. Prior to September 2007 the route had been numbered X15; in the 1980s this had operated as a through service between Reading
and Northampton
, and was run jointly by Luton & District and Bee Line
. It was shortened to terminate at Milton Keynes in 1986, and the Aylesbury - Reading section was abandoned in 1994 following Bee Line's withdrawal from the route.
Arriva Shires & Essex also operate hourly route 70, which links Milton Keynes to Luton
via Leighton Buzzard
and Dunstable
.
or Stagecoach in Northants
divisions of what was previously United Counties Omnibus
.
Route X5
links Oxford
and Cambridge
via Bicester
, Buckingham
, Milton Keynes
, Bedford
and St Neots
. It serves both Central Milton Keynes
and the Milton Keynes Coachway
for onward connections to north-south services. The route was launched in September 1995 and uses the brand Cross Country. New coaches were introduced to the route in March 2009.
Route X4, which is also branded as Cross Country, runs from Milton Keynes to Northampton
, Wellingborough
, Kettering
, Corby
and Peterborough
. It was introduced between Peterborough and Northampton in 2000, with the extension to Milton Keynes introduced in 2004 to replace existing slower routes.
In addition, Stagecoach operates route 89 from Northampton to Central Milton Keynes via Towcester, as well as route 40 to Bedford via Newport Pagnell and Bromham. Also, Stagecoach operates the VT99 shuttle service on behalf of Virgin Trains
. It links Milton Keynes Central railway station
with Luton railway station
and Luton Airport and formerly used dedicated coaches in Virgin Trains livery.
, ran a service between Milton Keynes and London between August 2004 and February 2006 using 19-seat Mercedes-Benz
mini-coaches. Tickets were predominantly sold over the internet. Its parent EasyGroup
first announced its intention to operate no frills express services in 2003. In August 2004 EasyBus launched its first service, connecting London and Milton Keynes
. To keep costs down EasyBus originally used Hendon Central station
in north London as its terminal point, with a journey time of 65 minutes and a single fare of £5. The threat of competition forced National Express to offer its own discounted fares to and from London, culminating in the introduction of a £1 single fare between Milton Keynes and London which Stelios claimed was intended to make his service non-profitable and force its withdrawal.
In Spring 2005 EasyBus changed its London terminus from Hendon to a more central location in Baker Street
. The service to Milton Keynes was withdrawn in February 2006, although services from London to other destinations including Luton Airport continue to operate.
operate route X31 from Milton Keynes to Luton
via Dunstable
. The route operates three to four times per hour on the section between Luton and Dunstable, extending to Milton Keynes via Hockliffe
once an hour. Other workings on the route extend to Hemel Hempstead
or Toddington
.
Although some timetables now list the route as operating only between Luton and Hemel Hempstead, it has been confirmed by the company and Milton Keynes City Council that the service will continue to operate in full.
. It is situated on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes close to Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway
on the A509 road
. However, it is currently operating from a temporary site at nearby Silbury Boulevard in Campbell Park
. A major rebuild project on the normal site is expected to be completed by mid 2010.
There has been a coach interchange at the junction of the M1 since at 1989. Prior to its construction, most long-distance services had stops in the town centre, while a small number bypassed the town. A planned re-development of the coachway and the neighbouring park and ride site was announced in 2006 and some preliminary work done.
Plans for the new coachway were released in April 2008 and services were moved on a temporary basis to Silbury Boulevard. In March 2009 it was announced that work would be delayed with completion now expected in 'spring/summer 2010' due to higher than expected tender prices. As of late September 2010, the building has been handed over to National Express and is due to open in December 2010.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
and the services they operate, have a varied history involving five different companies. At the foundation of the 'New City' in 1967 and for some years afterwards, Milton Keynes was served by a rural bus service between and to the pre-existing towns. Apart from a small-scale experimental service, urban buses arrived on the scene with deregulation, in 1986. Since April 2010, most services are provided by Arriva MK Star. Long-distance services also serve the city, often via the nearby Milton Keynes Coachway
Milton Keynes Coachway
The Milton Keynes Coachway is situated on the A509 road close to Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes, north Buckinghamshire, England offering coach services to cities, towns and airports on the M1 corridor and on into Scotland, to Heathrow and Gatwick airports, the...
located near Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
.
Urban services
Urban services in Milton Keynes have been operated by several companies under a wide range of names since the city's creation in 1967. As of 2010, the current operator is Arriva Shires & EssexArriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
, who acquired independent MK Metro
MK Metro
MK Metro was the main bus operator in Milton Keynes in the English county of Buckinghamshire. In February 2006, it was purchased by Arriva Shires & Essex...
in 2006. The operation is branded as Arriva MK Star. Other companies including On A Mission Coaches and Grant Palmer also operate services entirely within the Milton Keynes urban area
Milton Keynes urban area
Milton Keynes is a large town in Buckinghamshire. The Milton Keynes urban area is a designation established by the United Kingdom's Office of National Statistics. As with other urban areas, it includes settlements that regard themselves as being outside Milton Keynes...
.
Bus services within Milton Keynes are complemented by a frequent train service between the major centres of Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
, Central Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in its own right.The district is approximately 2.5 km long by 1 km wide and occupies some of the highest land in Milton Keynes...
and Bletchley, operated by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
. A less frequent hourly train service also links Bletchley to Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes "designated area" area in 1967...
, Bow Brickhill
Bow Brickhill
Bow Brickhill is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is a short distance south east of Milton Keynes itself....
and Woburn Sands
Woburn Sands
Woburn Sands is a small town and civil parish that is mainly located in the Borough of Milton Keynes, England, and to the south-east of Milton Keynes itself, near Wavendon...
Monday-Saturday.
United Counties
From 1967 until 1986, services between the major centres in Milton Keynes were run by United Counties OmnibusUnited Counties Omnibus
United Counties Omnibus is an English bus company, operating in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of surrounding counties. It was established in 1921 as the United Counties Omnibus & Road Transport Co Ltd, and from 1933 has been named the United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd...
. Depots in Bletchley and Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes and is a civil parish with a town council within the Borough of Milton Keynes. It is in the north west corner of Milton Keynes, bordering Northamptonshire and separated from it by the River Great Ouse...
were used until 1983, when they were replaced by a new depot in the city centre. The services were operated with a mixture of double-decker buses and some large single-deck vehicles according to the historical rural bus service model. Although they were relatively frequent and ran for most of the day, buses could not easily serve new developments as the roads were not wide enough. When it was designed, the city had been intended for every household to own a car. Bus priority schemes did not exist, and stops were often sited away from population centres, although no house was more than 400 metres from a stop. New services were often poorly used in their early years as development in each area of the city built up over time, and such routes required significant subsidies. This was partially offset by the low running costs encountered when running on the trunk roads around the city.
One area in which operations were successful was fares. A zonal system was operated with five single fares. A multi-journey ticket named Quad was offered, offering four single journeys of any length at a lower cost, and by the early 1980s was the most popular ticket in the city. Around 60% of tickets were sold off-bus. Subsidies for loss-making services were provided by Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
and Milton Keynes City Council. In its later years, the operation traded under the Citybus name. A new depot and bus station close to Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by...
were built in 1983 at a combined cost of £6.5 million. However, the depot proved larger than required for the fleet, and the bus station was rarely used as it was not well sited for the city centre.
In 1986 United Counties was split into smaller divisions in readiness for bus deregulation
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
, and Milton Keynes depot formed a new company, Milton Keynes Citybus.
Milton Keynes Dial-a-Bus
To deal with the impracticality of a conventional staged bus service in the low-density new districts, Milton Keynes Development CorporationMilton Keynes Development Corporation
Milton Keynes Development Corporation was established on 23 January 1967 to provide the vision and execution of a "new city", Milton Keynes, that would be the modern interpretation of the Garden city movement concepts first expressed by Ebenezer Howard 60 years earlier...
decided in 1973 to adopt and adapt the American Dial-a-ride concept, initially in Woughton Parish. According to this system, users who needed transport could call a central dispatch office and have a nearby (radio-controlled) Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
mini-bus diverted to the caller's street. The service began in 1975. Operation of the service was contracted to the incumbent operator, United Counties, which chose to operate it under its existing agreements with drivers. The service did not survive long.
Milton Keynes Citybus
Milton Keynes Citybus (initially Milton Keynes City Bus) was formed in January 1986 to take over the Milton Keynes depot of United Counties. It was privatised on August 7, 1987 and introduced a policy of operating minibuses in an unusual two-tone grey livery. It took over a small independent, Johnson's of Haslope, in 1990 and initially retained this as a separate operation. Other brandings introduced in 1992 were County Line and Buckinghamshire Road Car; all were run with a mixture of full-size vehicles and minibuses.In November 1992 Milton Keynes Citybus was taken over by Cambus Holdings Ltd. The three offshoots were merged under the Road Car name, and the operation was expanded at the expense of the main company. New liveries were also introduced in 1993, with Citybus becoming red and cream and Road Car green and white. The company was officially renamed MK Metro in 1994, but this was not used as a fleet name.
MK Metro
Cambus Holdings Ltd was acquired by Stagecoach GroupStagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
in late 1995. An investigation by the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
concluded that this had led to an unacceptable monopoly of bus operations in Cambridgeshire, Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire. Stagecoach was ordered to sell the Milton Keynes and Huntingdon operations to avoid the deal being referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The OFT also stipulated that both depots must be sold to the same buyer.
Milton Keynes Citybus was purchased on 2 May 1997 by bus entrepreneur Julian Peddle
Julian Peddle
Julian Peddle is an entrepreneur who has worked in the bus industry since the early 1980s, having owned or part-owned numerous bus companies. He spent 11 years as co-owner of Stevensons of Uttoxeter between 1983 and 1994, having previously been its traffic manager...
, using a new Premier Buses Ltd company both to operate in Huntingdon and as a holding company with which to purchase Milton Keynes Citybus. The Milton Keynes operation was rebranded as MK Metro with a bright yellow and blue livery. Peddle was unable to fund new vehicles for both companies, and sold Premier to Blazefield in 1998.
In the nine years that MK Metro was owned by Peddle ridership increased by 120% and the company became profitable. Between 1998 and 2003 passenger numbers rose by 63% following the introduction of new buses and ticketing schemes. It became part of his Status Bus & Coach mini-group - an attempt to coordinate the resources of small independents to save money - at its formation in 1999, but the group proved largely unsuccessful and had broken up by 2004.
Arriva
In February 2006, the operations of MK MetroMK Metro
MK Metro was the main bus operator in Milton Keynes in the English county of Buckinghamshire. In February 2006, it was purchased by Arriva Shires & Essex...
were purchased by Arriva for £5.6 million, and operational control transferred to the Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
division. Peddle cited disagreement between authorities as a major factor in his decision to sell the company. The purchase was considered by the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
for possible referral to the Competition Commission, but it was decided not to do so.
The Milton Keynes operation continued to use the MK Metro name until April 2010, when they were rebranded as Arriva Milton Keynes (temporarily using the brand name MK Star). The change of name coincided with a number of controversial service changes. Some services were in fact improved in frequency as part of the rebranding but others were reduced or even eliminated, and some journey times were increased.
Other operators
Since bus deregulationBus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
in 1986 there have been some competing companies in Milton Keynes, although it has seen less competition than most cities. London-based R&I Tours began competing with Milton Keynes Citybus in 1992 using the trading name Inter MK. They operated 10 single-deck buses, mostly Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
s in a two-tone blue livery, on a small number of routes in the city. They withdrew from the city in 1994 and were subsequently taken over by MTL.
In November 2009 a new competing route 44 between Central Milton Keynes and Lakes Estate was launched by coach company On A Mission. It was later extended across Milton Keynes to Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
, and also included a single school bus journey. However, the company collapsed on August 2, 2010 and the route no longer operates. The school bus journey is to be replaced by a tendered route.
Another competing service is provided by Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
-based independent Redline, who compete with Arriva on route 7 between Bletchley and Wolverton. Evening and Sunday services on this route are provided by two small operators based in Aylesbury, Red Rose Travel and Z&S International; both also operate a small number council contracted routes in the city. Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
-based Grant Palmer also operate contracted routes in the area.
Long-distance services
Long-distance services to Milton Keynes city centre are operated by Arriva Shires & EssexArriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
and Stagecoach East
Stagecoach East
Stagecoach East is the divisional name for the bus operations of the Stagecoach Group in eastern England.From 1999 until August 2010 the division had two trading names:*Stagecoach in Bedford which covers Stagecoach services in Bedford & Bedfordshire...
. Other long-distance services use Milton Keynes Coachway
Milton Keynes Coachway
The Milton Keynes Coachway is situated on the A509 road close to Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes, north Buckinghamshire, England offering coach services to cities, towns and airports on the M1 corridor and on into Scotland, to Heathrow and Gatwick airports, the...
as an interchange point for the city.
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex run routes 100 and 150 to AylesburyAylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
at a combined frequency of half-hourly. This pattern began in February 2009; prior to then only route 100 had operated over the entire length of the route, with an hourly frequency. Prior to September 2007 the route had been numbered X15; in the 1980s this had operated as a through service between Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, and was run jointly by Luton & District and Bee Line
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley
First Berkshire & The Thames Valley is a bus operator serving Bracknell, Slough and Wokingham, in England. It is part of First Group, a major bus and train operator with a turnover of nearly £2.5 billion a year and 62,000 employees across the UK and North America...
. It was shortened to terminate at Milton Keynes in 1986, and the Aylesbury - Reading section was abandoned in 1994 following Bee Line's withdrawal from the route.
Arriva Shires & Essex also operate hourly route 70, which links Milton Keynes to Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
via Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
and Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
.
Stagecoach
Stagecoach operate two express routes, two standard services and a dedicated rail link coach route into Milton Keynes. These are run by the Stagecoach in BedfordStagecoach in Bedford
Stagecoach in Bedford is the sector of the Stagecoach Group that operates buses in Bedford, Bedfordshire and is currently a trading name of the United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd-Background:...
or Stagecoach in Northants
Stagecoach in Northants
Stagecoach Northants is the name for most bus routes operated by Stagecoach Midlands in Northamptonshire. The legal name for the company is United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd...
divisions of what was previously United Counties Omnibus
United Counties Omnibus
United Counties Omnibus is an English bus company, operating in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of surrounding counties. It was established in 1921 as the United Counties Omnibus & Road Transport Co Ltd, and from 1933 has been named the United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd...
.
Route X5
Stagecoach bus route X5
Stagecoach bus route X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Cambridge via Bicester, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Bedford and St Neots. The route started in 1995 with an hourly service which was increased to half-hourly in 2005 and new vehicles were introduced in 2009. It has since won...
links Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
via Bicester
Bicester
Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...
, Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
. It serves both Central Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in its own right.The district is approximately 2.5 km long by 1 km wide and occupies some of the highest land in Milton Keynes...
and the Milton Keynes Coachway
Milton Keynes Coachway
The Milton Keynes Coachway is situated on the A509 road close to Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes, north Buckinghamshire, England offering coach services to cities, towns and airports on the M1 corridor and on into Scotland, to Heathrow and Gatwick airports, the...
for onward connections to north-south services. The route was launched in September 1995 and uses the brand Cross Country. New coaches were introduced to the route in March 2009.
Route X4, which is also branded as Cross Country, runs from Milton Keynes to Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
, Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
, Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
and Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. It was introduced between Peterborough and Northampton in 2000, with the extension to Milton Keynes introduced in 2004 to replace existing slower routes.
In addition, Stagecoach operates route 89 from Northampton to Central Milton Keynes via Towcester, as well as route 40 to Bedford via Newport Pagnell and Bromham. Also, Stagecoach operates the VT99 shuttle service on behalf of Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
. It links Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station
Milton Keynes Central railway station serves Central Milton Keynes and the surrounding area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The station is located on the West Coast Main Line between the stations of Bletchley and Wolverton, both of which are also within Milton Keynes. The station is served by...
with Luton railway station
Luton railway station
Luton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect.-History:...
and Luton Airport and formerly used dedicated coaches in Virgin Trains livery.
EasyBus
EasyBus, an intercity express coach operator founded by entrepreneur Stelios Haji-IoannouStelios Haji-Ioannou
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou , born 14 February 1967) is a British entrepreneur of Greek Cypriot origin, currently a resident of Monaco. He is the scion of a wealthy, shipowning family, but is best known for setting up easyJet, a highly successful and profitable low-cost airline, with start-up funds...
, ran a service between Milton Keynes and London between August 2004 and February 2006 using 19-seat Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
mini-coaches. Tickets were predominantly sold over the internet. Its parent EasyGroup
EasyGroup
EasyGroup , founded in 1998, is a conglomerate & the holding company controlling the "easy" ventures; it is privately owned by Stelios Haji-Ioannou....
first announced its intention to operate no frills express services in 2003. In August 2004 EasyBus launched its first service, connecting London and Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. To keep costs down EasyBus originally used Hendon Central station
Hendon Central tube station
Hendon Central tube station is a London Underground station in North West London on the A41.The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line, between Colindale and Brent Cross stations, and is on the boundary between Travelcard Zone 3 and Zone 4. Its postcode is NW4 2TE...
in north London as its terminal point, with a journey time of 65 minutes and a single fare of £5. The threat of competition forced National Express to offer its own discounted fares to and from London, culminating in the introduction of a £1 single fare between Milton Keynes and London which Stelios claimed was intended to make his service non-profitable and force its withdrawal.
In Spring 2005 EasyBus changed its London terminus from Hendon to a more central location in Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
. The service to Milton Keynes was withdrawn in February 2006, although services from London to other destinations including Luton Airport continue to operate.
Centrebus
CentrebusCentrebus
Centrebus is a privately owned company that operate a number of services around Leicester and Leicestershire, Grantham, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, mainly in areas where Arriva has scaled down its bus operations. Centrebus also competes with Arriva on some routes in Leicester, Luton and Stevenage...
operate route X31 from Milton Keynes to Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
via Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
. The route operates three to four times per hour on the section between Luton and Dunstable, extending to Milton Keynes via Hockliffe
Hockliffe
Hockliffe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire on the crossroads of the A5 road which lies upon the course of the roman road known as Watling Street and the A4012 road.It is about four miles east of Leighton Buzzard...
once an hour. Other workings on the route extend to Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
or Toddington
Toddington, Bedfordshire
Toddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England which is situated 5 miles NNW of Luton, north of Dunstable, south west of Woburn and 35 miles NNW of London on the A5120 and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the M1 motorway and lends its...
.
Although some timetables now list the route as operating only between Luton and Hemel Hempstead, it has been confirmed by the company and Milton Keynes City Council that the service will continue to operate in full.
Milton Keynes Coachway
Milton Keynes Coachway is the second busiest coach station in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is situated on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes close to Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
on the A509 road
A509 road
The A509 is a short A-class road for north-south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Kettering in Northamptonshire to the M1 and A5 in Milton Keynes....
. However, it is currently operating from a temporary site at nearby Silbury Boulevard in Campbell Park
Campbell Park
Campbell Park is a district in east-central and south-central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, the central park for Milton Keynes, and a civil parish that includes other districts. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 13,364...
. A major rebuild project on the normal site is expected to be completed by mid 2010.
There has been a coach interchange at the junction of the M1 since at 1989. Prior to its construction, most long-distance services had stops in the town centre, while a small number bypassed the town. A planned re-development of the coachway and the neighbouring park and ride site was announced in 2006 and some preliminary work done.
Plans for the new coachway were released in April 2008 and services were moved on a temporary basis to Silbury Boulevard. In March 2009 it was announced that work would be delayed with completion now expected in 'spring/summer 2010' due to higher than expected tender prices. As of late September 2010, the building has been handed over to National Express and is due to open in December 2010.
External links
- Days Out by Bus From Milton Keynes mkdayout.btinternet.co.uk