According to First Bus, the refreshed network will deliver new, frequent services. It will include new early morning and later evening trips. Sunday services will start on several routes for the first time.
Existing services will receive timetable adjustments to improve reliability and punctuality and expand hours of operation. The exact number of services receiving adjustments and the specific changes have not been detailed. First Bus has announced six new routes.
Some new services will operate every 15 minutes, according to First Bus. Service 211 is a new service replacing routes 202 and 229, offering cross-Lanarkshire connections between Thrashbush, Airdrie, Maxim Park, Holytown, Motherwell, North Lodge & Hamilton, Eddlewood with hourly trips Monday to Saturday. Service 209 is a new service every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, between Motherwell, New Stevenston, Mossend, Bellshill and Clay Crescent.
Service 225 is a new service every hour, Monday to Saturday, between Hamilton Bus Station, Hamilton Retail Park, Whitehill and UWS/Hamilton Technology Park. Service 243 is a new service every 15 minutes, Monday to Friday, 20 minutes on Saturday and 60 minutes in the evening and on Sunday, operating between Lanark, Braidwood, Carluke, Waterloo, Wishaw, Wishaw General, Craigneuk, Motherwell and North Motherwell, according to First Bus. Services 291/293 are new circular services replacing routes 241 and 254, operating approximately every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sunday, with 291 clockwise and 293 anti-clockwise, according to First Bus.
The exact routes and schedules for all six new services have not been fully disclosed. ' The improvements mark 100 years of bus travel in Lanarkshire. To mark the centenary, First Bus was joined by the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust and its 1954 Central SMT L484 Leyland Titan bus at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell.
First Bus can trace its beginnings to the Glasgow General Omnibus Company that started operating buses in 1926, according to major media reports. ' The total cost or investment for these network improvements has not been announced. Specific measures to ensure improved reliability and punctuality have not been detailed.
The impact on current bus fares or ticketing options remains unclear. The network refresh aims to enhance travel options across Lanarkshire as the company commemorates a century of service.