Bus fares

Fares increase on specific Essex County Council supported services from Saturday 1st April 2023

During the Covid-19 pandemic local bus fares for contracts where Essex County Council  control the fares were not increased at all. The contracts where we control the fares are called ‘Gross Cost contracts’.

From Saturday 1st April 2023, the fares of all our current Gross Cost contracts (which are listed in the table below titled ‘1st April 2023 Gross Cost Contracts’) are increasing in line with our Fees and Charges Policy which will be a 5.9% increase rounded to the nearest 10p. The reason for the rounding is so the fares are not sums like £3.14 which would cause more difficulty for passengers and bus drivers.

Normally, our fares would be increased by Retail Price Index (RPI) but as RPI is currently 13.4% at the time of writing, that is considered too high in line with the impact of cost of living so we have lowered the fare increase to 5.9%. As an example increased fare on a ‘£3 adult single’ fare before 1st April 2023, this will become £3.20 from 1st April 2023.

The Department for Transport’s (DfT) £2 single fare cap scheme remains in place until Friday 30th June 2023 for bus operators that are currently taking part. Please note that concessionary bus pass holders and Park and Ride users will not be affected by this change.

The routes that are affected by the above are detailed in the table below:

1st April 2023 Gross Cost Contracts

Service Numbers Operator Service From/To Service Periods
1/2/3/4/6/8/10 Arriva Harlow Town Services Monday to Saturday evenings
1/2/4/6/8/10 Arriva Little Parnden - Harlow Sundays and Public Holidays
2 Panther Travel Harwich - Dovercourt Monday to Friday
3 Arriva Harlow - Harlow Saturday evenings
4 First Bus Hythe - Stanway Monday to Friday
4 Hedingham Jaywick - Great Clacton Monday to Saturday evenings
4A Arriva Southend - Shoeburyness Sundays and Public Holidays
6A/6B Hedingham Clacton - Point Clear Monday to Saturday evenings
7 Stephensons of Essex Southend - Rayleigh Monday to Saturday evenings
7/7A Galleon Travel Bishop's Stortford - Stansted Airport Monday to Saturday
9 Hedingham Great Holland - Walton-on-the-Naze Monday to Friday
9/9A Galleon Travel Great Saling - Great Notley Monday to Friday
11 First Bus Highwoods - North Station Monday to Friday
13/13A/14 First Bus Chelmsford - Wickford Monday to Saturday
14 Stephensons of Essex Southend - Foulness Island Monday to Saturday
14 Galleon Travel Harlow - Pinnacles Monday to Saturday
21 Stephensons of Essex Bocking - Black Notley Monday to Saturday evenings
21 Hedingham Bocking - Black Notley Sundays and Public Holidays
31 Vectare Toot Hill - Harlow Monday to Saturday
40 First Bus Witham - Witham Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
42B First Bus Halstead - Chelmsford Monday to Saturday evenings
50/50A Hedingham Colchester - Tollesbury Monday to Saturday
59 Arriva Chelmsford - Harlow Sundays and Public Holidays
60/60A Stephensons of Essex Southend - Paglesham Monday to Saturday
63/63A Hedingham Colchester - William Harris Way Monday to Saturday
71/72 Hedingham Stondon Massey - Warley Monday to Saturday
77/77A Hedingham St Osyth - Tufnell Way Monday to Friday
80/80A/81/81A First Bus Colchester - Boxted/Dedham Monday to Saturday
94/A/B Hedingham South Woodham - Basildon Monday to Saturday
97/98 Hedingham Jaywick - Great Clacton Monday to Saturday evenings
97A/98A Hedingham Clacton - Walton Monday to Saturday evenings
99 Hedingham Clacton - Walton Monday to Saturday evenings
211/212 Epping Forest Community Transport Waltham Cross - Breach Barns Monday to Saturday
301 Galleon Travel Bishop's Stortford - Saffron Walden Monday to Saturday
305/315/325 Galleon Travel Bishop's Stortford - Stansted Airport Monday to Saturday
306 Galleon Travel Wicken Bonhunt - Bishop's Stortford Monday to Friday
313/314 Stephensons of Essex Great Dunmow - Saffron Walden Monday to Saturday
316/318 Galleon Travel Stansted Airport - Saffron Walden Monday to Saturday
319/320/321/59/590 Galleon Travel Haverhill - Saffron Walden Monday to Saturday
322/323/324 Galleon Travel Bishop's Stortford - Lindsell Monday to Saturday
505 Vectare Harlow - Waltham Abbey Monday to Saturday
542 Galleon Travel Debden - Loughton Monday to Saturday
694 Hedingham Langham - East Bergholt Schooldays
804 NIBS Buses Debden - Chigwell Schooldays
D1/D2 Hedingham Maldon - Bradwell Monday to Saturday
DaRT 7 Epping Forest Community Transport Moreton - Epping Monday and Thursday
SB12 Epping Forest Community Transport Toot Hill - Harlow Wednesday and Friday
SB21 Arrow Taxis Fuller Street - Braintree Monday only