If you are aged 16-20 and live in West Sussex, please take our short survey for a chance to win one of five £50 gift cards!

The 16 to 20 Bus Saver scheme enables young people aged 16-20 to access discounted bus fares and tickets from the relevant bus operator. We want to hear what you think of the scheme, whether you have used the bus discount yet or not.

Take the survey here

Over the next few months, we will continue to carry out work throughout the county which aims to improve bus journeys.

• Need to know when the bus will arrive? Over 250 Real Time Passenger Information Displays have been installed with more to come.
• We’re improving journey times by refurbishing 10 junctions with bus priority traffic signals with another 10 lined up.
• In partnership with Crawley Borough Council, construction for the Western Boulevard Scheme is making good progress.
• An extension to the recently constructed eastbound bus lane in Manor Royal in Crawley from Crompton Way to London Road (A23) is continuing.
• Further works have been planned to improve the bus stops along the Hydrogen Fast Routes 10 and 20.

You can stay updated on all our projects and view the map to find out where existing and planned improvements are taking place.

Find out more at www.westsussex.gov.uk/bsip

Book-a-Bus is an on-demand, flexible bus service for areas in West Sussex with limited or no traditional bus service.

With Book-a-Bus fares capped at only £1 per trip for the whole month of August, you can plan a summer day out in the West Sussex countryside.

The bus service operates in four areas in the county:

• The 99 Flex lets you travel south of Petworth including Chichester, South Ambersham, Bignor and Fittleworth.
• The 98 Flex operates north of Petworth including Midhurst, Wisborough Green, Upperton, and Durfold Wood.
• The 97 Flex serves the Barnham area, including Slindon, Arundel, Oving and Shripney
• The 96 Flex runs in north west Chichester, including Lavant, Fernhurst, West Marden and Singleton.

You can travel within these areas to reach local towns, other bus and rail connections, and visitor attractions.

View our interactive map to plan your destinations.

Since its launch in August 2023, Book-a-Bus has expanded and now connects residents, in the areas surrounding Chichester, Petworth, Midhurst and Barnham, to key destinations and onward travel.

Have you tried it yet? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know what you think about the Book-a-Bus service, your booking and on-board experience. Also, where else you might like to see the flexible bus service.

Help us improve, expand, and create a better “Book-a-Bus” service by taking part in our survey.

Closing date for this survey is midnight on Tuesday 10 December 2024.

Bus stop improvement works are underway as part of West Sussex County Council’s, Department for Transport-funded Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The works comprise of bus stop infrastructure renewal, installation of new footways and hardstand, renewal of road markings and traffic signs, installation of real time passenger information, and some locations with improvement of pedestrian crossing facilities.

As part of BSIP, West Sussex County Council is proposing running improvements of the route 10 & 20 Hydrogen Fastway inside Crawley. These works comprise of bus stop improvements and bus lane surface treatments along both bus routes. For further information about the programme, visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/bsip

Listed below is the first phase of county wide bus stop improvement site locations. Current and planned works can also be viewed on our BSIP map

Please note that these works are weather dependant and may be cancelled at short notice. Dates will be confirmed as the permits are granted. For the latest information follow us on X (Twitter) @WSHighways and one.network.

A partnership between Metrobus (Go Ahead), West Sussex County Council, Surrey County Council, Kent County Council and London Gatwick has won a bid for funding to launch a new fleet of 43 hydrogen powered buses.

The buses will operate across a wide area of Sussex, Surrey and Kent to connect rural areas with local towns and London Gatwick. Destinations will include Burgess Hill, Crawley, East Grinstead, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Worthing, Brighton, Caterham, Dorking, Redhill and Tunbridge Wells. Find out more

This February, we’re sharing the love with FREE bus journeys all month when traveling with Book-a-Bus!

Hop on board and travel the rural areas surrounding Chichester, Petworth, and Midhurst. Download the Ride Pingo app or call 01243 858854 to book. For further information please go to www.westsussex.gov.uk/book-a-bus

The new ‘16 to 20 Bus Saver’ scheme means that people aged 16 to 20 can get a discounted bus fare. Their bus journey just needs to start or finish anywhere in West Sussex.

Developed by West Sussex County Council alongside bus operators and funded by the Department for Transport (DfT), the scheme is expected to run until March 2025.

For more information on the new ‘16 to 20 Bus Saver’ scheme, visit: www.westsussex.gov.uk/16to20BusSaver

Travelling around the rural areas of West Sussex has become easier with the introduction of Book-a-Bus, a flexible, on-demand bus service.

Launched by the county council, the new service will operate within set zones and offer passenger pick-up in a location closer to you with travel to your destination, all for the same price as a standard bus fare, currently capped at £2 per trip until 31 October 2023.

The first two Book-a-Bus zones cover the rural areas around Chichester and Petworth:

• 99 and 99 Flex - operated by Compass Travel (Petworth to Chichester zone)
• 98 Flex - operated by CT Sussex (North Petworth zone)

Additional zones are currently being explored, all serving those communities where conventional bus travel is limited. These include villages in the Barnham, Eastergate and Westergate area not served by frequent conventional bus services.

This new flexible service is part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan, a county council initiative, funded by central government, that aims to make it easier and more attractive for residents and visitors to travel by bus.

You can find out more at www.westsussex.gov.uk/book-a-bus

A fleet of 20 new hydrogen buses are now operating on the Crawley Fastway route, courtesy of Metrobus and a range of partners.

Fuelled by the largest hydrogen refuelling centre in Europe, at the Metrobus depot in Crawley. Hydrogen fuel cells power advanced electric engines. Rather than pumping out polluting fumes through their tailpipes, they just produce droplets of H2O i.e. water.

Beating the rain clouds at the Hydrogen Bus Launch, Crawley, 29 June 2023.

"Hydrogen is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to operate a bus", according to the Metrobus brochure accompanying the launch. It's quick to refuel them - unlike conventional electric powered vehicles and they have a greater range - crucial if you're running a bus service.

How it works is that the hydrogen fuel cell generates a chemical reaction that splits the hydrogen separating the proton and electron. The electron stores energy in the battery and when it returns to the cathode it meets filtered air and the proton produces water vapour as a bi-product. The battery pack powers the electric motor, enabling the bus to travel. Well, I admit, I'm not a scientist - that info was also from the Metrobus brochure. So, it is still a bus with an electric motor, it just uses hydrogen to power the motor rather than juice from the mains.

An example of how environmentally friendly these buses are: a journey from Crawley Bus Station to Gatwick South Terminal (that's a distance of just under 6 miles) would save 1,066g of CO2 compared to driving.

#WestSussBus attended the launch listening to speeches by, among others, the UK Govt Bus Minister Richard Holden MP and Ed Wills, Managing Director of Metrobus. It was all very exciting - and to top it off, we were given a ride round the Fastway route on board a brand new Hydrogen bus.

Quiet and quick is how I'd describe the journey around Crawley town centre out towards Horley, and it felt good that the journey wasn't adding to the planet's woes, but helping to provide a bit of daily climate action in West Sussex.

A further 34 hydrogen buses are planned for Metrobus services.