BUS USERS in Reading will see timetables receive a shake-up in the new year to meet changing demands.
Reading Buses says the first day of the revised services will be Tuesday, January 3 – for many, the day they return to work after the festive break.
The Emerald 6 will have more resources allocated to help improve reliability and timekeeping with the frequency staying at every 12 minutes.
The timetable change also helps spacing with the Emerald 5 at Whitley Street to provide a better service for customers.
The royal blue 33 will have more resources allocated to help reliability and timekeeping, with the frequency remaining at every 20 minutes.
Green Line 702 is returning to a normal timetable following the conclusion of roadworks in London. There will be some additional changes to help improve reliability and timekeeping, and to restore evening through journeys to Windsor.
The Leopard 3 will see its journey through Arborfield Green reworked so it can use the newly-opened section of the Nine Mile Ride extension. As a result, it will no long run along Park Lane, or use the Orwell Drive bus stop.
Instead, they will use the new road in both directions. The timetable will be amended to reflect this new arrangement.
The Lion 4 and X4 will see some journeys changing from 4 to X4, or vice versa, to better reflect commuter journeys.
There is a new timetable on Saturdays, but the 20-minute frequency remains.
The Mereoak park&ride 600 timetable has been adjusted to reflect operational experience since the service was extended to Riseley and Shinfield. The loop in Riseley will be reversed to allow buses to use the lay-by opposite The Bull as a waiting point.
One week later, on Monday, January 9, there will be changes to the Claret 21 with the frequency of the claret spritzer 21a increasing to every 15 minutes, and coordinated with claret 21 around University lecture times.
The Claret 21 will remain every 20 minutes, but there are changes to improve reliability and ensure that there is more capacity for Lower Earley residents.
Robert Williams, Reading Buses’ chief executive officer: “January is a key time for us to mop up any issues that have developed since the start of the academic year.
“Since September, we have seen changes in commuter habits and a significant increase in roadworks and traffic congestion so we must ensure that our service levels reflect this.”
Timetables are available on the firm’s website, www.reading-buses.co.uk
