There will be several changes and improvements to bus routes in Slough from Sunday 2 April, particularly affecting the Cippenham and Upton areas.
In some cases, new links will be provided, new bus stops added, and buses will start running earlier in the morning and finish later in the evening. A small number of bus stops will no longer be served, and fewer buses will run on parts of two routes (with alternative stops a short distance away).
There will be routing and timetable changes to routes 2, 4, 5 and 6, also route 12 (evening and Sunday service), along with timetable changes on Sundays to routes 3 and X74 and an increase in frequency on route 7 on Mondays to Fridays.
Details of the changes are available on our buses webpage.
Most bus routes in Slough are operated by commercial bus operators with no council support, although some are also supported by funding from other sources such as Heathrow Airport and (currently) central government.
Until now, the council has also financially supported parts of a small number of bus routes (routes 4, 5, 6, 12, 63 and 68) which would otherwise not run as they are not currently commercially viable.
In order to achieve financial savings, the council decided on 14 December last year to withdraw revenue funding from most bus services supported by the council from 1 April 2023 (routes 4, 5, 6, 63 and 68). However, thanks to new funding from Heathrow Airport (as part of its Sustainable Travel Zone) and Buckinghamshire Council, and the co-operation of bus operators First and Thames Valley Buses, most of the existing level of service on these part-supported routes will be retained from 2 April, also with some improvements to routes 4, 5 and 12.
There are no changes in April to routes 63, 68, although Buckinghamshire Council who fund these routes may review them later in 2023, which may lead to some changes.
From 2 April the only Slough Borough Council supported service will be route 12 (evening and Sunday service), which is funded by a specific central government grant and will continue until March 2024. A decision will be made nearer that time on the future of this service.
Most of Slough’s bus operators are taking part in the government’s £2 maximum single fare cap which has been extended until 30 June 2023, keeping travel costs down and encouraging more people to use buses.
Cllr Mohammed Nazir, cabinet member for transport and the local environment, said: “I am delighted that, despite the need to save money, we have managed to ensure that most existing bus services will be retained or improved. In the small number of locations where buses will no longer run there are alternatives nearby. I am particularly grateful to Heathrow Airport and Buckinghamshire Council for the additional funding they are providing, ensuring that our communities can continue to access jobs and services that are vital to the growth of the town, and to First and Thames Valley Buses for their co-operation.”