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New routes announced with Local Authority Bus Grant funding

New routes announced with Local Authority Bus Grant funding

Following receipt of the 2025/26 Local Authority Bus Grant earlier this month, the first tranche of bus services being launched or improving with the revenue allocation of £2.8m, has been announced.

Published: 08 Jul 2025

As with the previous Bus Service Improvement Plan grants covering 2023-25, these routes have all been suggested by the community through the council’s “scheme on a page” initiative.

I’m delighted to announce these new and improved routes for Suffolk. These changes represent the biggest positive change to bus services across the County since 1998 and along with our previous route improvements, show our commitment to supporting local communities and the bus industry.
Cllr Chris Chambers, Cabinet Member for Transport Strategy, Planning and Waste

Cllr Chambers continues: “These routes were suggested by the community and we hope to see these services grow passenger numbers over the coming months and years.”

“I would like to thank all Councillors, Parish and Town councils and bus companies who came forward to suggest these improvements.”

The majority of the services are expected to start in late August or early September, however in the case of Mulleys routes covering Marham Park (M77) and Thurston (M40), these began on 7^th July, replacing services withdrawn by other operators. This is to minimise disruption for the local community, following the recent cancellation of the Marham Park Flyer.

Cllr Chambers continues: “We have been working extensively, over many months, with local providers and the community to find solutions for those affected by the cancellation of the Marham Park Flyer service. The Local Authority Bus Grant for 2025/26, which was the council received from the Department for Transport on 1 June has enabled us to offer a replacement for this much-loved route.

“To reduce the gap in services around Marham Park, we worked with the Traffic Commissioner to ensure a shorter notice period than usually required for the new route to begin and I am pleased that this new route has now started.

“We have an excellent track record of supporting communities and operators to maintain routes when circumstances like these present themselves, and this is another example of that.”

Alongside the 2.8m revenue for delivering new or enhanced services, the county council also previously announced £5.2m of capital funding from the DfT for new and improved bus stops, bus stations, bus priority measures or vehicle upgrades. Members of the community can suggest bus stop improvement projects for consideration at: https://www.suffolkonboard.com/news/2024/06/bus-service-improvement-plan-where-should-the-money-be-spent/

The website also shows details of all services funded through previous grants.

The new funding is going to:

Ipswich Buses	1	Waitrose - Greenwich - Town Centre	Addition of Sunday service
Ipswich Buses	3E	Town Centre - University of Suffolk - Nacton Road - Greenwich	Addition of Sunday evening service
Ipswich Buses	92	Ipswich - Holbrook - Brantham - Manningtree	Planned reduction in service withdrawn, new peak AM journey from Brantham to Manningtree
Ipswich Buses	93	Ipswich - Capel St Mary - East Bergholt - Colchester	Nothing new - planned reduction in service withdrawn.
Ipswich Buses	4	Town Centre - Broke Hall - Bixley	Increased peak-hour frequency
Ipswich Buses	5	Town Centre - Foxhall Road - Ipswich Hospital	Increased Mon-Fri frequency
Ipswich Buses	7, 16	Ipswich Town Centre – Dale Hall – Castle Hill – Anglia Retail Park and Ipswich Town Centre – Belstead Road – Halifax	Increased peak-hour frequency, additional trips (part-funded by Henley Gate s106)
Ipswich Buses	15/15A	Town Centre - Station - Maidenhall - Pinewood - Chantry	Increased frequency
Chambers	90, 91	Ipswich - Hadleigh - Sudbury	New Sunday service plus additional Mon-Sat journeys
Chambers	784	Sudbury - Nayland - Colchester	New Sunday and evening journeys. Daytime Mon-Sat services retimed to give regular frequency for Stoke By Nayland and Leavenheath. To be linked with 753 for through travel to/from Bury St Edmunds
Chambers	Sudbury Town Service	New Sudbury town service	TBC - will include Tesco, Clermont Ave bus gate, Health Centre - possibly Great Cornard
Chambers	375	Sudbury - Alpheton - Shimpling - Bury St Edmunds	Upgrade from Weds only to run Mon-Sat, route change to cover West Suffolk Hospital
Mulleys	M40	Thurston - Great Barton - Bury St Edmunds	New hourly service
Mulleys	M77	Marham Park - Westley Estate - Bury Town Centre	Extension of existing town service to run earlier and later plus covering Marham Park.
BorderBus	521	Aldeburgh - Thorpeness - Saxmundham - Halesworth	Increased Saturday frequency and extended to Beccles
Dan's Coach Travel	DB1	Stowmarket - Bury St Edmunds	Addition of Saturday service
The Voluntary Network	TBC	Exning - Studlands Estate - Newmarket Town Centre - Railway Station	New Mon - Sat service
The Voluntary Network	TBC	Newmarket - Dullingham - Thurlows - Haverhill	New Mon-Fri service converting current demand responsive option to scheduled route. Also provides peak journey on new town service above.
The Voluntary Network	TBC	Brandon Town service, route TBC	New three day per weeks service linking estates, town centre, country park and High Lodge
Simonds	TBC	Gislingham - Diss	New Friday shopping service
Fareline	TBC	Gislingham - Stowmarket	New Thursday shopping service
Hadleigh Community Transport	461, 462	Hadleigh - Whatfield - Bildeston - Stowmarket	Increase to daily operation and add more journeys
TBC	482	Framlingham - Stradbroke - Eye - Diss	New Mon-Sat service
First	800	Ipswich Park & Ride	Revised route in Ipswich taking in University of Suffolk and Ipswich Hospital (Garrett Anderson Centre rather than Woodbridge Road). Some journeys extended to Adastral Park. 1 journey per hour extended to Rendlesham via Martlesham, Woodbridge and Melton.
First	800	Ipswich Park & Ride
First	70	Orford – Sutton Heath – Melton – Woodbridge – Grundisburgh – Ipswich.	Additional journeys from Sutton Heath to Melton and Woodbridge with connections onwards to Ipswich.
First	106	Lowestoft town service	Resumption of service to Gunton area withdrawn in 2019.