Stagecoach, the UK’s leading bus operator, is improving its Lake District services yet again.
The winter timetable, which comes into force on November 3, sees extra journeys added to last winter’s timetable on the flagship 555 Keswick to Lancaster route via Grasmere, Ambleside, Windermere and Kendal.
There will be regular services up to every 30 minutes between Keswick and Kendal during the busiest periods of the day – an upgrade on last winter – with new for winter departures from Keswick at 10am, 11am and 4pm Mondays to Saturdays.
There are six buses from Carlisle to Keswick on the 554 Mondays to Fridays – five at weekends – while the X4/X5 from Penrith to Keswick and Workington continues to run every half-hour on weekdays, hourly on Sundays, with minor changes to improve punctuality.
As was the case last winter, there is an hourly service on the Borrowdale Bus from Keswick to Seatoller, provided by an open-top double-deckers weather permitting.
And there are five buses on the 508 from Penrith to Patterdale Mondays to Fridays, four at weekends, plus a later Penrith-Pooley Bridge journey Mondays to Saturdays.
Tom Waterhouse, Managing Director of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “We’re always looking to improve our services, and we are confident that the additional journeys will benefit our customers and encourage more people to take the bus.
“Travelling by bus is the best way to see the Lake District. It’s better for the environment too and, thanks to the national fare cap, no single journey costs more than £3 making the bus a fantastic bargain.”
Elsewhere in Cumbria there are new for winter early buses on the 516, from Ambleside to Dungeon Ghyll, and between Kendal and Lancaster on the 555, improvements to the 755 from Bowness to Morecambe and Heysham while the new Saturday service from Kendal to Ingleton continues through the winter.
Stagecoach’s other Lake District routes operate a near identical timetable to last winter.
These include the 599 Grasmere to Bowness, 505 Kendal and Windermere to Coniston, 6 Kendal and Windermere to Barrow and X6 Kendal to Barrow via Grange.
The X4/X5, 555 and 599 will again operate a special Boxing Day timetable this year while the 555 and 599 also offer a limited service on New Year’s Day.
Summer-only routes, such as the 77/77A Keswick to Buttermere, 509 Keswick to Penrith via Ullswater, and the 508’s extension to Windermere over Kirkstone Pass will return when the summer timetable resumes on March 23.
To coincide with the new winter timetable, Stagecoach is asking passengers waiting at bus stops in the dark – especially in poorly-lit areas – to help make sure the driver can see them.
They should wave clearly as the bus approaches, use their phone’s torch or screen to signal their presence and, where possible, wear bright or high-visibility clothing.Full details of all Stagecoach’s Lake District services are in the new ‘The Lakes by Bus’ winter brochure. This contains timetables, suggested outings and ticket information.
Download the Stagecoach app to plan your journey, buy tickets and get real-time information on bus running.
