As Route One did in post #710?
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Brighton & Hove / Metrobus Discussion
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Murray J
Member
to be fair this is very much on CBW for inexplicably reporting the news a week late.
Most people would look back at leat a page on this thread.
Dwarfer1979
Member
Print deadlines, CBW are the only magazine who returned to printing weekly after the COVID pause so the printed magazine is still more of a focus for priority and information (they also sell via high street sellers so making the printed product the focus brings in more revenue), Route One is only printed monthly so their online output is the focus and Bus & Coach Buyer is fortnightly so again, for news, the online gets more priority (and both the latter were more funded around adverts & classified fees so bringing people to their web presence is just as effective financially).
317 forever
Established Member
I regularly read Route One online but gave up on CBW for being less up to date and requiring my email.
I would not have been interested in receiving news items by email.
I saw an electroliner out this morning going down Edward Street, didn't catch the number though.
Also this on this afternoon:
Come and celebrate the launch of our electric buses - Brighton & Hove Buses
According to Bus times it is 607
brightonbususe
Member
Oh a different moquete! Didn't realise these had sunroofs too. The "I am electric' on the roof annoys me more than it should but apart from that they look pretty smart.
capitalpotter
Member
Just seen 3 Metrobus Kites on low loaders heading north on the M40
Metrobus also have some new pages on their website with more information (including a detailed route map) about the new 500 service:
www.metrobus.co.uk
www.metrobus.co.uk
www.buses.co.uk
It looks like the 500 is being run as a sole Metrobus service. It will replace both the Brighton & Hove 54 and Compass Bus 261 routes.
It is a journey time of 150 minutes (two and a half hours) from end to end. Certainly a massive upgrade for rural villages like Nutley to be going from five buses a day to an hourly 24/7 bus service.
It is a shame that Ashurst Wood is being skipped as it is a decent sized village and the 261 currently serves it. The new 500 will stop on the outskirts but for some reason it is not going through the centre of the village like the 261 does.
I reckon it is quite likely that it will be run entirely from Crawley depot (without using Eastbourne depot) considering that it is a Metrobus service but i am not entirely certain. Metrobus run the 23/23X/270/271/272/273 entirely from Crawley depot (without using any Brighton depot) and those are very similar length routes.
I also wonder if any vehicles will be branded for this route and if they are using single deckers or double deckers. The current 54 is a double decker route but the 261 is a single decker route.
May Service Updates
Service updates to routes 23/23X, 271, 272, 420, 424, 430/435, 460, 500 & 612 from 9th May 2026.
www.metrobus.co.uk
New bus service linking Eastbourne, Hailsham, Uckfield, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport
Our brand new 500 service will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and hourly at the busiest times.
www.metrobus.co.uk
Brand-new 24/7 bus service to link Eastbourne, Hailsham, Uckfield, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport
Metrobus has announced the introduction of a brand-new service, route 500.
www.buses.co.uk
It looks like the 500 is being run as a sole Metrobus service. It will replace both the Brighton & Hove 54 and Compass Bus 261 routes.
It is a journey time of 150 minutes (two and a half hours) from end to end. Certainly a massive upgrade for rural villages like Nutley to be going from five buses a day to an hourly 24/7 bus service.
It is a shame that Ashurst Wood is being skipped as it is a decent sized village and the 261 currently serves it. The new 500 will stop on the outskirts but for some reason it is not going through the centre of the village like the 261 does.
I reckon it is quite likely that it will be run entirely from Crawley depot (without using Eastbourne depot) considering that it is a Metrobus service but i am not entirely certain. Metrobus run the 23/23X/270/271/272/273 entirely from Crawley depot (without using any Brighton depot) and those are very similar length routes.
I also wonder if any vehicles will be branded for this route and if they are using single deckers or double deckers. The current 54 is a double decker route but the 261 is a single decker route.
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izvor
Member
I would expect it to be fully branded double decks, with two based at Eastbourne, but that's just my speculation.
Ashurst Wood already has 2bph with the 270 and 291 which is more than adequate. The 500 is clearly aimed at longer-distance traffic, which is why it also skirts Polegate and Copthorne, and indeed misses Crawley town centre entirely - a definite plus!
Also the road through Ashurst Wood village is narrow with blind bends, and an extra bph would increase the risk of 2 buses meeting at awkward points. Worth pointing out that, pre-deregulation, only M&D served the village, with Southdown and LCBS/LT using the main road.
The last three sets of fleet liveried vehicles have three different moquettes. Which seems like a recipe for mess in a few years.
The fact there is a early morning northbound run starting at Hailsham would suggest that Eastbourne have some PVR for sure.
Where they are coming from is the question, considering Metrobus is still struggling & the Geminis that were cascaded off city work to the 54 haven't covered themselves in glory.
Presumably the electrics push a internal cascade to send a few more Gemini to Crawley but we shall see - but you'd have thought route branded and refurbished would be the aim of the game.
Well, B&H will no longer be running the 54, and are B&H receiving new electric buses?
Metrobus also have two new pages on their website with more information (including a detailed route map) about the new 500 service:
May Service Updates
Service updates to routes 23/23X, 271, 272, 420, 424, 430/435, 460, 500 & 612 from 9th May 2026.
New bus service linking Eastbourne, Hailsham, Uckfield, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport
Our brand new 500 service will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and hourly at the busiest times.
It looks like the 500 is being run as a sole Metrobus service. It will replace both the Brighton & Hove 54 and Compass Bus 261 routes.
It is a journey time of 150 minutes (two and a half hours) from end to end. Certainly a massive upgrade for rural villages like Nutley to be going from five buses a day to an hourly 24/7 bus service.
It is a shame that Ashurst Wood is being skipped as it is a decent sized village and the 261 currently serves it. The new 500 will stop on the outskirts but for some reason it is not going through the centre of the village like the 261 does.
I reckon it is quite likely that it will be run entirely from Crawley depot (without using Eastbourne depot) considering that it is a Metrobus service but i am not entirely certain. Metrobus run the 23/23X/270/271/272/273 entirely from Crawley depot (without using Brighton depot) and those are very similar length routes.
I also wonder if any vehicles will be branded for this route and if they are using single deckers or double deckers. The current 54 is a double decker route but the 261 is a single decker route.
Brighton & Hove's "Our Data" page has been updated with details of the 500 and I've tried to look into this data. It looks like there's a PVR of 6 on Monday to Saturday (4 from Crawley and 2 from Eastbourne) and 5 on Sunday (all from Crawley).
** EDIT **
I've got into the data in more detail and it appears that on Monday to Saturdays, one bus starts the day at Crawley and ends it at Eastbourne whilst one starts the day at Eastbourne and ends it at Crawley.
I've produced a cut-down version of my Route Workings document that I occasionally put onto the Brighton Buses Past and Present Facebook group that just covers the duties (or Blocks as the "Our Data" documentation calls them) for this service - it's designed to be viewed in a two-page view with the cover page shown separately.
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WibbleWobble
Member
The problem with cream as a colour is that it can make designs look dated very quickly - a bit like using magnolia paint on your house walls.
I suspect that'll be the case.
On an interesting point, Roger French on his blog about the new buses today says that there are 29 more coming.
It would seem that these are the existing additions for the 5and 6. As well as 16 additionals paid in part by West Sussex for the 2 and the 46.
2 starting at Eastbourne. I'm presuming from other posts that they will be Metrobus vehicles just garaged overnight at Eastbourne but that Eastbourne drivers will still be driving some journeys (or part journeys)?
brightonbususe
Member
Yes agreed, I loved how they took the previous branding and modernised it with the swoosh, but the new colours became dated. The new colourscheme is stunning, but I find a lot of the recent liveries lack that polish that Best Impressions make so effortless. I assume they use an in-house designer now.
I am hearing that the plan is for the 18 and 50 to merge in to a new 20 route from June in two months time.
Current Routes:
18 - Brighton Station - North Street - Old Steine - Saint James Street - Egremont Place - Queens Park
50 - Brighton Station - North Street - Old Steine - London Road - Ditchling Road - Hollingdean
New Route:
20 - Hollingdean - Ditchling Road - London Road - Brighton Station - North Street - Old Steine - Saint James Street - Egremont Place - Queens Park
I do not have an official source yet but i am sure that something will be published shortly with more details.
This is the third usage by B&H of the number 20 in recent years. This new route is an odd way to do things. I am not sure how it will improve reliability by making both routes longer.
Current Routes:
18 - Brighton Station - North Street - Old Steine - Saint James Street - Egremont Place - Queens Park
50 - Brighton Station - North Street - Old Steine - London Road - Ditchling Road - Hollingdean
New Route:
20 - Hollingdean - Ditchling Road - London Road - Brighton Station - North Street - Old Steine - Saint James Street - Egremont Place - Queens Park
I do not have an official source yet but i am sure that something will be published shortly with more details.
This is the third usage by B&H of the number 20 in recent years. This new route is an odd way to do things. I am not sure how it will improve reliability by making both routes longer.
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Nor does it deal with the issue of the 18 not having a proper terminus, as the 50 is loop round Hollingdean with the 18 looping round Queens Park. It might, though, give the former a 30-minute service on a Sunday evening (currently an inconvenient every 40 minutes).
These are the detailed new routings of the new route 20 service:
Southbound/Eastbound:
• Hollingdean Loop - Ditchling Road - Oxford Street - London Road - Cheapside - Whitecross Street - Trafalgar Street - Frederick Place - Brighton Station - Queens Road - Clock Tower - North Street - Old Steine - Saint James Street - Egremont Place - Queens Park Road - Queens Park Loop
Northbound/Westbound:
• Queens Park Loop - Queens Park Road - Egremont Place - Edward Street - Old Steine - North Street - Clock Tower - Queens Road - Brighton Station - North Road - Gloucester Place - Saint Peters Church - London Road - Oxford Street - Ditchling Road - Hollingdean Loop
The new route 20 will be every fifteen minutes in each direction just like the 18 and 50 both currently are.
This means that both the route along Dyke Road via Homelees House and the route along Montpelier Road via Vernon Terace will both no longer have any bus services. It also means that Waitrose will lose its direct bus to Queens Park and require passengers to change. It also means that Churchill Square will lose its direct bus to Queens Park but this one is not a big issue as it is only a three or four minute walk from the Clock Tower bus stop.
I also wonder why they chose 20 instead of keeping the existing either 18 or 50 number. I would have kept it as 50 as the Hollingdean route has been numbered 50 for decades. It has been over thirty years that the Hollingdean route has been numbered 50 so it is a well known route. The routes around Queens Park have changed numbers constantly in recent years so at least they are more used to different route numbers there. So i think keeping the number 50 would have been better.
Southbound/Eastbound:
• Hollingdean Loop - Ditchling Road - Oxford Street - London Road - Cheapside - Whitecross Street - Trafalgar Street - Frederick Place - Brighton Station - Queens Road - Clock Tower - North Street - Old Steine - Saint James Street - Egremont Place - Queens Park Road - Queens Park Loop
Northbound/Westbound:
• Queens Park Loop - Queens Park Road - Egremont Place - Edward Street - Old Steine - North Street - Clock Tower - Queens Road - Brighton Station - North Road - Gloucester Place - Saint Peters Church - London Road - Oxford Street - Ditchling Road - Hollingdean Loop
The new route 20 will be every fifteen minutes in each direction just like the 18 and 50 both currently are.
This means that both the route along Dyke Road via Homelees House and the route along Montpelier Road via Vernon Terace will both no longer have any bus services. It also means that Waitrose will lose its direct bus to Queens Park and require passengers to change. It also means that Churchill Square will lose its direct bus to Queens Park but this one is not a big issue as it is only a three or four minute walk from the Clock Tower bus stop.
I also wonder why they chose 20 instead of keeping the existing either 18 or 50 number. I would have kept it as 50 as the Hollingdean route has been numbered 50 for decades. It has been over thirty years that the Hollingdean route has been numbered 50 so it is a well known route. The routes around Queens Park have changed numbers constantly in recent years so at least they are more used to different route numbers there. So i think keeping the number 50 would have been better.
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Another bit of B&H news is that the night bus routes N12 and N14 are seeing a big frequency increase from mid June to each run hourly all night long in both directions giving a combined half hourly service. This will be on seven nights a week. This was mentioned briefly in the ESCC document but i am only now hearing about the actual frequencies.
The routes N12 and N14 currently run a limited night service of eight journeys total. Westbound you have 5x journeys (5x journeys to Saltdean and Peacehaven and 3x journeys to Newhaven and Seaford and 1x journey to Eastbourne). Eastbound you have 3x journeys (3x journeys from Saltdean and Peacehaven and 1x journeys from Newhaven and Seaford and 0x journeys from Eastbourne). So it is a rather limited night bus service in comparison to other Brighton night buses.
But this new increase to the N12 and N14 will mean that Saltdean and Peacehaven will get 2bph (every thirty minutes) in each direction all night long and Newhaven and Seaford and Eastbourne will get 1bph (every sixty minutes) in each direction all night long. So a big increase to the current night service.
N12 - Brighton - Rottingdean - Saltdean - Telscombe Cliffs - Peacehaven - Newhaven - Seaford - Exceat - Friston - East Dean - Eastbourne
N14 - Brighton - Rottingdean - Saltdean - Telscombe Cliffs - Peacehaven - North Peacehaven - Meridian Centre
Sussex is suddenly getting extremely good night bus services recently. We just had the new N29 running 24/7 from Brighton to Lewes and soon the 500 running 24/7 from Crawley to Eastbourne and now a massively increased frequency to the N12 and N14 routes. It is good to see more frequent 24/7 night bus routes outside the London area.
The routes N12 and N14 currently run a limited night service of eight journeys total. Westbound you have 5x journeys (5x journeys to Saltdean and Peacehaven and 3x journeys to Newhaven and Seaford and 1x journey to Eastbourne). Eastbound you have 3x journeys (3x journeys from Saltdean and Peacehaven and 1x journeys from Newhaven and Seaford and 0x journeys from Eastbourne). So it is a rather limited night bus service in comparison to other Brighton night buses.
But this new increase to the N12 and N14 will mean that Saltdean and Peacehaven will get 2bph (every thirty minutes) in each direction all night long and Newhaven and Seaford and Eastbourne will get 1bph (every sixty minutes) in each direction all night long. So a big increase to the current night service.
N12 - Brighton - Rottingdean - Saltdean - Telscombe Cliffs - Peacehaven - Newhaven - Seaford - Exceat - Friston - East Dean - Eastbourne
N14 - Brighton - Rottingdean - Saltdean - Telscombe Cliffs - Peacehaven - North Peacehaven - Meridian Centre
Sussex is suddenly getting extremely good night bus services recently. We just had the new N29 running 24/7 from Brighton to Lewes and soon the 500 running 24/7 from Crawley to Eastbourne and now a massively increased frequency to the N12 and N14 routes. It is good to see more frequent 24/7 night bus routes outside the London area.
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It does seem odd on the N29, when it runs hourly through the night, that there's a 2h25 gap between the end of the 29 and the start of the N29, or am I missing something?
Sussexwatch
Member
There will still be a direct service to Queens Park from Waitrose and part of Montpelier Road on route 21. The reason for the new number 20 is aimed to keep both Queens Park and Hollingdean communities happy, rather than cutting one route and and extending another leading to accusations one area has lost out. Serving the Queens Park area has always been a sensitive issue and the current 18 has never performed well in terms of reliability or patronage (and neither did the 81 which preceded it). New route 20 will mean Queens Park will have the 20, 21 & 23 (and Compass Travel 37B, which is a tendered service). I think B&H has come up with a good solution, another operator might have just cut frequencies.
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Yes, there are 28s to Lewes in between, the longest gap is 30 mins!
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