Shortest Passenger Bus Route

[Steddenm]

We know that the shortest timetabled rail service in the UK is the Stourbridge shuttle, but what would be the shortest bus route in passenger service in the UK. I'm not counting airport shuttles (such as car park to terminal) or non-public services such as staff shuttles.

 

[KrisEK]

The shortest I can think of would be Glasgow's 398: it just circles around central Glasgow between the bus station and the two rail termini:

398 - Central Station Forecourt - Central Station Forecourt

First Greater Glasgow

bustimes.org

I presume other cities may have similar services though.

 

[stadler]

These ones are certainly some contenders:

• 30 - Central Connect - Epping to Coopersale - end to end route - 3 minutes each way

• 898 - Go Ahead South Coast - Poole to Poole Asda - end to end route - 5 minute each way

• 900 - Compass Bus - Crawley to Crawley Asda - circular route - 7 minutes full loop

All are less than ten minutes for the full route.

 

[Ianigsy]

I’m amazed that the 964 Cambridge circular in Otley keeps going - it’s slightly less than a mile, four minutes each way and because it’s run by Connexions, often produces a double decker. It might not be entirely coincidental that a local councillor lives on the estate.

 

[Edirim]

Are you meaning full routes? If you accept part routes east coast buses 106 has a 6 minute journey from macmerry to tranent morning peak extra.

 

[lyndhurst25]

In West Yorkshire - 936 Marsden to Hey Green is a 4 minute journey.

https://www.wymetro.com/buses/timetables/936/pdf

 

[aron2smith]

Epping one already mentioned but here are some of the shortest ones in London.
- 209 Mortlake to Barnes - some journeys timed at just 6 to 7 minutes, longest journeys take 11 to 12 minutes
- 378 Mortlake to Putney Bridge - 10 minutes in off peak times!

Lea Valley
- 379 Chingford Station to Yardley Estate - 8 to 13 minutes. They really should extend this to Waltham Abbey!
- 327 Waltham Cross/ Bullsmoor Circular - Around 10 minutes and then it comes back!

Waltham Abbey has a number of short routes in Central Connect's 14 and 16 routes too. It can't be the best way of organising routes surely.

 

[stadler]

Sussex Coaches route 63 from Slinfold to Broadbridge Heath is another contender. The southbound journey is just 8 minutes from end to end. The northbound journey is longer at 20 minutes so only the southbound journey is really a contender.

 

[mb88]

Epping one already mentioned but here are some of the shortest ones in London.
- 209 Mortlake to Barnes - some journeys timed at just 6 to 7 minutes, longest journeys take 11 to 12 minutes
- 378 Mortlake to Putney Bridge - 10 minutes in off peak times!

Lea Valley
- 379 Chingford Station to Yardley Estate - 8 to 13 minutes. They really should extend this to Waltham Abbey!
- 327 Waltham Cross/ Bullsmoor Circular - Around 10 minutes and then it comes back!

Waltham Abbey has a number of short routes in Central Connect's 14 and 16 routes too. It can't be the best way of organising routes surely.

Can add the R9 to that. Journeys are in the morning peak (which omit Orpington high street) are timed as little as 4 minutes from Orpington Station to Ramsden Estate. Full journeys around 11 minutes each way.

 

[MedwayValiant]

Stagecoach 1 in Aberdare isn't very long. It takes 4 minutes to go up the hill to Abernant. The timetable gives it 6 minutes to come back down, although in reality it takes scarcely 3.

 

[Whisky Papa]

The T2 from Todmorden Bus Station to Longfield has a direct journey time of 4 minutes, although most daytime journeys now go via the railway station in one direction or the other, adding 2 minutes to that leg.

Most of the other really short routes in the area have been incorporated into longer routes: the former H4 from Hebden Bridge centre to Fairfield was 4 minutes each way, and is now combined as the 598 with the former H5 Eaves route which was a (very tight!) 5 minutes. The former H3 to Dodd Naze was also given 5 minutes, and is now part of the 595 - with only 3 minutes given to its former terminus I see.

Todmorden also had a stand-alone daytime T5 from the Bus Stn to Carr House and direct return, which got 5 minutes each way. It is now covered by the T3 and T4, I suspect it changed in the early 1990s after my first spell of minibus driving at Todmorden had ended. And of course the 'trunk' T1 to Cross Lee is only 7 minutes up and 8 back.

 

[Galactic142]

Does the 13 in Rawtenstall still run? - that used to take around 5 mins I think.

 

[Steddenm]

Thanks for all your comments so far. It is interesting why these routes run and are not part of longer, other routes.

 

[duncombec]

The Translink website is awful, but I believe a contender for the shortest route in Northern Ireland is the Foyle Metro 2d, linking the bus station and rail station in Derry-Londonderry. (Sorry, Foyle Street Bus Station with the North West Transport Hub...).

Timetabled to take 5 minutes each way, that seems to be an "in case of traffic" journey time, as the one occasion I've used it we arrived early. Not only that, it is operated by GB Kite Electroliners. Possibly the shortest electric bus route?

 

[Omnidekkalover]

Andrews of Tideswell in Derbyshire offers the 178 scheduled to take 10 minutes on a round trip

 

[WM Bus]

The 1 Kidderminster to Rifle Range always feels really short and it has a big layover between every round trip in the bus station.
It’s scheduled time 9 minutes to Rifle Range, 12 minutes back.

Normally a big empty B7RLE too. In the term time the B7 is needed for Wolverley School 829 service which is on the running board.
For quite a few weeks 30813 was the vehicle of choice (but it’s on the 3 this week).

 

[SCH117X]

The RS1 in Ripon is two routes cobbled togther. Those workings only on shorter part; Bus Station to St Michaels Retail Park are timed as 2 minutes. The return somehow is timed at 5 minutes

 

[ServerHoster]

The 316 Sandbach to Cookesmere Lane takes 4 minutes outbound and 6 minutes inbound. It runs 3 times a day, 2 days a week. https://bustimes.org/services/316-sandbach-cooksmere-lane-circular-2. I have no idea why this route exists given that each bus stop is within a 15 minute walk of Sandbach Common.

 

[Dai Corner]

Phil Anslow's A6 circular takes just 8 minutes to go from Abergavenny bus station to Holywell Crescent and back.

Newport Transport's 12 is allowed 7 minutes between the city's Friars Walk bus station and Sainsbury's supermarket.

 

[leedslad82]

There used to be a Keighley Bus Station to Keighley asda service. That took less than 5 mins. Hardly ever saw anyone on it and think it got withdrawn a few years ago

 

[NorthOxonian]

There used to be a Keighley Bus Station to Keighley asda service. That took less than 5 mins. Hardly ever saw anyone on it and think it got withdrawn a few years ago

Yes - that was the first route which came to mind. Keighley does still have quite a few relatively short circulars (K2/K3/K12 all are about 10 minutes each way) but none that really qualify for this thread (and they're certainly not unreasonable - the town is very hilly and has low car ownership).

The shortest route that I can think of in the North East is probably the cathedral bus in Durham. There are a couple of variants; the shortest appears to shuttle between the city centre/riverside and cathedral. The timetable gives 6 minutes to complete the 0.8 mile route. It interworks with a slightly longer (and more useful) shuttle to the railway station which takes 10 minutes. I can't say I've ever seen these services busy but the council tenders them, and in fairness they do get a few passengers because they run up what is quite a steep hill.

 

[stevieinselby]

The 316 Sandbach to Cookesmere Lane takes 4 minutes outbound and 6 minutes inbound. It runs 3 times a day, 2 days a week. https://bustimes.org/services/316-sandbach-cooksmere-lane-circular-2. I have no idea why this route exists given that each bus stop is within a 15 minute walk of Sandbach Common.

Looking at the number of bungalows down there, I would guess that for some residents it would be a lot more than a 15 minute walk...

 

[341o2]

• 898 - Go Ahead South Coast - Poole to Poole Asda - end to end route - 5 minute each way

NF1 Morebus, Brockenhurst Station to New Forest Show. Last Tuesday - Thursday in July. 2 miles. Public service, free if you have purchased entry to the Show in advance.EDIT Well, that was the situation pre covid, when I last visited the Show. The organisers have now alienated several of their members by withdrawing this facility. The bus I was travelling on stopped to set down passengers at Balmer Lawn and Brockengurst College
The former 99 Boscombe Beach Bus, which ran from Boscombe Bus Station to Boscombe Pier via Pokesdown Station, was operated by a single bus, providing a 30-minute service.

 

[Segedunum]

The shortest route that I can think of in the North East is probably the cathedral bus in Durham. There are a couple of variants; the shortest appears to shuttle between the city centre/riverside and cathedral. The timetable gives 6 minutes to complete the 0.8 mile route. It interworks with a slightly longer (and more useful) shuttle to the railway station which takes 10 minutes. I can't say I've ever seen these services busy but the council tenders them, and in fairness they do get a few passengers because they run up what is quite a steep hill.

The 68 from Four Lane Ends to the DSS has that beat time-wise, at four minutes each way: https://bustimes.org/services/68-four-lane-ends-metro-dss-tyneview-park

It was probably once quite a popular route but I haven't witnessed many folk on it whenever I've gone through Four Lane Ends in the peaks.

 

[Tetchytyke]

TJ Walsh, and before them the Halifax Bus Company, used to run a bus from Halifax Bus Station to Halifax Sainsbury’s. The entrance to Sainsbury’s is pretty much opposite the bottom of the bus station.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Faresaver had (might still has) one afternoon run that starts in Devizes and goes one bus stop then its all set downs 'by request'. Apparently rarely anyone gets on so does the one bus stop, finishes there then goes empty for PM school run. Probably technically shortest run for driver when no one gets on, but with set down requests probably doesn't count...

 

[DunsBus]

Service 60 in Edinburgh has had two short routes over the years. The first was in 1973, between St Andrew Square and the recently-built housing scheme at Dumbiedykes, and the second was in the late-eighties between Bristo Place and Holyrood. The distance end-to-end would have been around a mile in each case.

 

[aswilliamsuk]

The shortest route I can think of down here in Kent is the Stagecoach South-East service 25 in Canterbury. Bus Station to the Kent & Canterbury Hospital, about 1.1 miles each way, every ten minutes and takes 15-16 minutes for the full circuit (Bus Station - Hospital - Bus Station). It's also busy enough to require 'deckers as a general rule.

 

[TheSel]

There's a Welshpool local school service (88A) that takes 10 minutes in the morning, and nine in the afternoon. Link to 'Bus Times' website here.

There's an hourly Oswestry town service (404) that takes 11 minutes. Link to 'Bus Times' website here.

 

[stadler]

Compass Bus route 37C takes just 7 minutes to go from end to end.