Supermarket free bus services

[CD]

If you google Asda free bus you will find plenty more.

 

[High Dyke]

Asda at Grantham axed their shuttle bus, Bus Station to town centre store and back, 20 years ago. After about 10 trips you soon got bored driving it... Still they paid the operator well enough to purchase a new minibus for the service.

As an aside the local Sainsbury's, also in the town centre (RIP: local football ground.), similarly ran a shuttle bus from the bus station and back, but again this got curtailed after a few years of operation.

In both cases the round trip took no more than 10 minutes.

 

[Mitch in Notts]

The ASDA freebus leaves from stand P at the new Mansfield Bus Station according to Nottinghamshire County Councils website. This indicates it must still have been running within the last few years. I have a Stagecoach 2013 leaflet for the A1-A5 free buses from the Mansfield area, A4 serves Bus Station, to the Forest Town store. Whether it is still valid who knows!

 

[Andyh82]

Asda at Grantham axed their shuttle bus, Bus Station to town centre store and back, 20 years ago. After about 10 trips you soon got bored driving it... Still they paid the operator well enough to purchase a new minibus for the service.

As an aside the local Sainsbury's, also in the town centre (RIP: local football ground.), similarly ran a shuttle bus from the bus station and back, but again this got curtailed after a few years of operation.

In both cases the round trip took no more than 10 minutes.

Slightly off topic but you should see the Sainsburys free bus in Halifax. It runs every 10 mins from the bus station despite the Supermarket being just across the road!

 

[AJW12]

I'd always wondered why they carried on with the K8 in Keighley - it literally carries nobody on it and it's actually quite a high frequency. Seems a bit absurd that Transdev kept putting a bloody great big B7TL/President on it too.

If it was part of the planning permission or there's some legal reason why it has to keep running, I really think someone needs to get involved and scrap it. Not that I blame Transdev but having almost 200 trips a week carrying no people, adding to traffic and belching out dirty exhaust isn't going to benefit the Town in any way.

 

[Andyh82]

I assume it’s paid for by someone. They use a President as it’s run between school contracts

 

[overthewater]

Here is the thing: Years ago at Edinburgh Gyle, Mark and spencer wanted a bigger stop unit. As part of that deal, for getting permission to build the extension, M&S agreed to pay for some free shopper buses from Scottish border and mid and east Lothian, and three bus routes: for 15 years: 1999-2014

* 37/38 Edinburgh Ratho- Gyle
* 48: Turnhouse - Gyle ( is now 68)
* 63 Queensferry - Gyle

The funding run out five years ago and the council had to take on the routes. Gold Stars to the council.

 

[randyrippley]

This Bristol was the Lancaster bus
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50674120@N08/31408264005/in/gallery-db3435-72157634238418502/

Operated by Lonsdale Buses, who were later taken over by Lancaster City Transport. If it wasn't available for any reason one one Lonsdales "Isle of Man Steam Packet" liveried ferry shuttle Atlanteans usually stood in.
Later one was repainted into Asda colours to replace the Bristol: LCT didn't have any time for Bristols
https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4921155116_f911dbf2f7_b.jpg


The service was withdrawn around 20 years ago when Stagecoach routed the number 6 via Asda

 

[Hophead]

Metrobus continue to operate the ASDA bus in Crawley: it's a 9-minute round trip every 15 minutes stopping early afternoon. The fare is apparently £1.70, but "Asda customers travel free on this service" (I presume this means everybody in practice).

 

[Strathclyder]

Don't know how up to date their site is but Gibson still have Asda Summerston (Glasgow North) on their site two services but the timetables won't open. https://www.gibsondirectltd.co.uk/bus-services/

Aye, the A1 still runs from the West of Scotland Science Park's Acre Rd turning circle to Milton on a hourly basis on weekdays only (with a two hour gap between 11:00 & 13:00 on the Summerston Asda - Milton section). For many years, it was operated by a dedicated Mk.1 Pointer-bodied Dennis Dart SLF (ex-Armchair P692 RWU), but that expired in March 2015. After a number of months of it being run by a non DDA-compliant ex-Ulsterbus Leyland Tiger and a mix of other vehicles, it settled into Solo operation in 2016.

 

[GusB]

We had a free bus service to our local Asda in Elgin for some years, dating back to from when the store was originally built by Fine Fare. From memory, it ran just one return journey once a week on a Thursday morning. As a car-less household, it was handy for us, especially when the alternative would have been to take two service bus trips into and then across town. It was fairly well-used, mainly by pensioners, but also by a few young families.

I can't remember exactly when it stopped, but with the gradual reduction of the amount that concession card-holders paid (now zero, of course), the opening of a competing Tesco store right in the middle of town, and increased car ownership, I suppose the writing was on the wall. I think it had gone by the time Asda had built their brand new store. By then my parents had a car and I'd left home.

It was always an interesting morning out for me during the school holidays, and the operator at the time (Nothern Scottish) used anything going spare for the route. One week you'd be travelling on a new Olympian, while the next week it might be an ageing Fleetline or one of the early manual-box Leopards. Happy days

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Slightly off topic but you should see the Sainsburys free bus in Halifax. It runs every 10 mins from the bus station despite the Supermarket being just across the road!

Halifax Sainsbury's shuttle is the most ridiculous route I have ever come across. I swear it would be easier (even for the elderly) to walk to the Sainsbury's than to walk to the bus stand in the bus station and then get dropped off at the bus stop, where you still have to walk to the entrance.

 

[trentside]

Don't know if they've been axed or not but there's several ASDA shoppers' services in the Lincolnshire area that run once a week: http://www.pccoaches.co.uk/timetables

These were registered when RoadCar cancelled their equivalent services - I believed that was due to Asda pulling or reducing the payments they were receiving. That was a long time ago now of course!

 

[40145 Panther]

I don't think there has been an ASDA shuttle bus to the Ashton-under-Lyne store for several years. First Pennine used to run one up to around 20 years ago. In the early days of bus deregulation, Dennis' Coaches used to run a direct bus from Uppermill up to Ashton's ASDA, which was a variant of the 353 service. This went to the town's first ASDA supermarket on Langham Street.

 

[bearhugger]

Here's a timetable for ours. Runs Wed Thu Fri usually operated by one of our Scania Omnidekka's. believe it's written into the planning permission for the store so won't be cancelled until the store closes, if it ever does.

Thanks for the timetable @darloscott been after that for a little while. Used the service for the first time today. Only issue i have is I'm stood outside now hoping the eggs dont start slowly cooking in the sun!!

 

[Dai Corner]

Is there a new, niche, hobby of supermarket free bus bashing? Who'll be the first to clear each chain for carriage?

 

[darloscott]

Thanks for the timetable @darloscott been after that for a little while. Used the service for the first time today. Only issue i have is I'm stood outside now hoping the eggs dont start slowly cooking in the sun!!

Glad to hear, trust everything went smoothly!

 

[Martin2012]

ABUS still have several routes from various parts of Bristol to the Longwell Green store and I'm pretty sure Eagle Coaches did some at one time.

 

[Darklord8899]

Not ASDA, but I'm sure E&M Horseburgh still run the Free Tesco buses in Musselburgh

 

[AwkwardHail]

Poole still has its ASDA bus. It runs Monday - Saturday every 20 minutes between 0900 and 1440, usually operated with a Solo, however occasionally with an OmniCity double decker.

 

[dgl]

Tesco in Yeovil used to have a service that went around the Crewkerne area and the outlying villages near the A303 (Martock and Merriot being two of them), not sure where it came from or who ran it but certainly wasn't a quick ride.
Used to catch it from Kithill so must have been to (an)other village(s) beforehand

 

[Roilshead]

The Sainsbury's bus in Halifax is a better kept secret. It runs from the bus station to Sainsbury's, serving nowhere else. The timetable is not on the Metro website and the number of the bus is not on the operator's website. There's a timetable at the stop which is about as far from the entrance to the supermarket as it could be whilst still being on their property.

https://bustimes.org/services/c68-sainsburys-halifax-circular

Oh, yes. Sainsbury's is almost next to the bus station. Google maps reckons it's a 5 minute walk, but it doesn't direct you by the shortest route. The bus takes 4 minutes.

I think the issue with the Halifax Sainsbury's is that it is a bit [sic] of walk uphill from the store to the Bus Station/Town Centre, which might prove challenging to anybody with cardio-respiratory problems (especially if they're carrying shopping) - that being said, they must be thin-on-the-ground as the (C60/C61?) usually carries just fresh-air.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

ABUS still have several routes from various parts of Bristol to the Longwell Green store and I'm pretty sure Eagle Coaches did some at one time.

Not anymore - now withdrawn as of yesterday

 

[Simon75]

D&G do a Freebus for Tesco In Crewe

 

[Mitch in Notts]

Waitrose in Newark seem to have (or had) free buses from surrounding villages - there is certainly mention of it online in 2010 at Elston, 2015 at Winthorpe, and criticism in 2017 on Waitrose Newark page about lack of usage/potential for withdrawl with it not being advertised. If you don't put the times online anywhere how does anyone know about it. I've drawn a blank searching!

 

[kevjs]

Nottingham has a number of Shoplink buses, only one serving an Asda though

http://www.silverdaletours.co.uk/uploads/1/0/6/4/106418507/s1.pdf does serve Morrisons too though.

http://www.silverdaletours.co.uk/shoplink.html

Sure there used to be more a few years ago.

 

[Mitch in Notts]

Nottingham has a number of Shoplink buses, only one serving an Asda though

http://www.silverdaletours.co.uk/uploads/1/0/6/4/106418507/s1.pdf does serve Morrisons too though.


Sure there used to be more a few years ago.

The S1 above plus the S10, S11 & S34 (all City Council Funded) were withdrawn on the 1st May 2018. The S20/1 at Tesco Top Valley remain (presumably store funded) along with the S2-4 to Morrisons at Gamston from rural areas.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

The Sainsbury's bus in Halifax is a better kept secret. It runs from the bus station to Sainsbury's, serving nowhere else. The timetable is not on the Metro website and the number of the bus is not on the operator's website. There's a timetable at the stop which is about as far from the entrance to the supermarket as it could be whilst still being on their property.

https://bustimes.org/services/c68-sainsburys-halifax-circular

Oh, yes. Sainsbury's is almost next to the bus station. Google maps reckons it's a 5 minute walk, but it doesn't direct you by the shortest route. The bus takes 4 minutes.

I thought that C68 had been axed a long time ago.

I wonder if the C70 to Brighouse Tesco has been axed? Having been introduced by First Halifax who used a mk1 Plaxton Beever before losing the contract to Halifax Joint Committee who used some Wrightbus until they closed, where the route was then picked up by Geldards who used a Plaxton President on the route until they went bust before TJ Walsh took it on but I haven't seen it run for a while which makes me wonder if it has been scrapped.

I do recall seeing one bus which HJC owned which had Thrum Hall Asda plastered on it, so the Asda in Halifax must have had a free bus too.

Compass Travel (Sussex) Ltd use to run some Asda shopper buses but these have since been axed, as far as I'm aware they still run the Holmbush Express to the Holmbush centre at Shoreham along with some to the Tesco at Broadbridge Heath and some Sainbury shoppers to Rustington and Chichester too.

 

[Deerfold]

I thought that C68 had been axed a long time ago.

No, still going strong (by which I mean I saw 1 person on it last week). It's changed operator a couple of times - currently TJ Walsh.

I wonder if the C70 to Brighouse Tesco has been axed? Having been introduced by First Halifax who used a mk1 Plaxton Beever before losing the contract to Halifax Joint Committee who used some Wrightbus until they closed, where the route was then picked up by Geldards who used a Plaxton President on the route until they went bust before TJ Walsh took it on but I haven't seen it run for a while which makes me wonder if it has been scrapped.

That hasn't run for a while.

I do recall seeing one bus which HJC owned which had Thrum Hall Asda plastered on it, so the Asda in Halifax must have had a free bus too.

It did, but I think it's at least 8 years since it ran.

 

[Steddenm]

Not an ASDA bus per se (although there was a store on the retail park), but I remember Midland Fox ran a free FoxCub service between Hinckley Bus Station - Hinckley Leicester Road - Barwell Top Town / Square - Barwell Shilton Road - Earl Shilton Belle View/ Leicester Road - Earl Shilton The Hollow - Earl Shilton Church Lane - Desford Crossroads - Fosse Park Retail Park.

Can't remember if it was daily or weekly. Left Barwell at 0930ish and returned from Fosse Park departing around 1230 so didn't give you long.