Carousel Buses announces enhanced festive services

Carousel Buses has announced it will provide a record level of services across its network for the upcoming festive period.

As part of its dedication to providing vital public transport links for residents, it has confirmed it will operate enhanced special bus timetables to help people travel across Christmas and the New Year. And the festive timetables that will be delivered this year are bigger than ever across its network.

On Christmas Eve, Carousel Buses services 27, 275 and 577 will operate full Monday to Friday timetables. While services 1, 1B, 34, 38, 39, 39A, 41, 104, 106, 107, 581 and 583 will operate a full Saturday timetable. All other services will operate a Saturday service with an early finish. The last Flightline 102 service will depart Heathrow at 20:25.

The airline coach service, operated by Carousel Buses’ sister organisation, Oxford Bus Company, will operate on Christmas Day, providing connectivity between High Wycombe, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport and Oxford. No local bus services will operate on Christmas Day.

On both Boxing Day and New Year's Day, special service timetables will operate on routes 1A, 32, 33, 102, 103, 850, along with the airline. Funding for this development, which represents a major uplift in public transport links historically available in the area on these days, has been provided by Buckinghamshire Council. Heathrow is also providing funding for Flightline 102. 

Carousel Buses will also be operating a special service on route 724 on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day between Watford and Heathrow, with financial support from Heathrow Airport. The Carousel 724 journeys will call at all stops between Watford Junction and Uxbridge Station.

On New Year’s Eve, Services 27, 275 and 577 will operate a full Monday to Friday timetable. While services 1, 1B, 34, 38, 39, 39A, 41, 104, 106, 107, 581 and 583 will operate a full Saturday timetable.  All other services will operate a Saturday service with an early finish. The last Flightline 102 service will depart Heathrow at 20:25.

On 28th and 29th December, all services will operate as usual, while on 30th December services 27, 275 and 577 will operate to a Saturday timetable and all other routes to a Saturday timetable. PickMeUp will operate as normal between 27th and 31st December.

Luke Marion, Carousel Buses Managing Director, said: “We’re pleased to be offering more services than ever before to our passengers across the festive period to help people travelling locally and to the airports. We're very grateful to our partners at Buckinghamshire Council and Heathrow Airport who have helped us deliver the much-improved festive local bus network this year.

“It has been a very busy year for us all at Carousel Buses, with a significant expansion in our business following Arriva's departure from the area, and this is another fantastic step forward in our strategy to develop our network and provide excellent connectivity for our passengers across the communities we serve. With several changes to normal timetables, we advise our passengers to plan their journeys in advance by checking the website or using the Carousel Buses app.”

“The operation of bus and coach services over the Christmas and New Year period is very important if we want to see a shift to more sustainable travel during the rest of the year,” says 

Matthew Wooll, from Heathrow’s Surface Access Team. “We are therefore very pleased to have worked in partnership with Carousel to provide improved services over this year’s festive period.”  

Steven Broadbent, Buckinghamshire Council's Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “I am really pleased to see the extensive bus services that Carousel will be providing throughout the Christmas and New Year period in Buckinghamshire. This increase in services will undoubtedly encourage more residents to opt for public transport.”

Full timetables and more information can be found here.