Longest city bus routes

[ValleyLines142]

Just wondering what the longest city bus route is out there?

I'm not looking so much at interurban buses like the X5 Oxford to Cambridge, X53 from Weymouth or the Excel from Norwich, but mainly cross-city services that in theory could be considerably shorter if they weren't observing so many bus stops.

For me, I'm thinking:

First Bristol 75/76, nearly 2 hours end to end in the peak, 19A Bath to Cribbs over 2 hours.

Some of Lothian's city routes across Edinburgh are about 1 hour 45 minutes, the 26 for instance.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Just wondering what the longest city bus route is out there?

I'm not looking so much at interurban buses like the X5 Oxford to Cambridge, X53 from Weymouth or the Excel from Norwich, but mainly cross-city services that in theory could be considerably shorter if they weren't observing so many bus stops.

For me, I'm thinking:

First Bristol 75/76, nearly 2 hours end to end in the peak, 19A Bath to Cribbs over 2 hours.

Some of Lothian's city routes across Edinburgh are about 1 hour 45 minutes, the 26 for instance.

Depends on longest in distance or duration.

The 19 isn’t really a city service though

 

[Statto]

NEXWM 11A/11C Birmingham Outer Circle is the longest urban area route in europe at 27 miles, timed to 2 hours 15 off peak can take up to 3 hours in thr peaks, although overtaken briefly by the 360 in Coventry before that was split

 

[EnviroExplorer]

Birmingham and Coventry’s Outer Circle services are widely, and rightly known as the longest routes in an urban area, which I assume is what you mean.
The Coventry 60/61 can take up to 2 hours 25 in the evening peak (Travel De Courcey operated)
The Birmingham 11A/C are given up to 3 hours in the peaks, half hour less at other times (NXWM operated)

 

[Megafuss]

Don't think the Birmingham 11A/11C can be beaten. But First Glasgow has some meaty cross city routes. service 60A can take up to 1hr 57 from Easterhouse to Clydebank for example

 

[transmanche]

TfL's X26 (West Croydon-Heathrow Airport) can take up to 2 hours 24 mins.

There are a few long routes in Newcastle, such as Stagecoach's 6/7/8 from Four Lane Ends to Metrocentre or Central Station: with some journeys taking up to 1 hour 40mins. Some of their other routes (22, 62/63) have journeys of up to 1 hour 30 mins.

 

[NorthOxonian]

TfL's X26 (West Croydon-Heathrow Airport) can take up to 2 hours 24 mins.

There are a few long routes in Newcastle, such as Stagecoach's 6/7/8 from Four Lane Ends to Metrocentre or Central Station: with some journeys taking up to 1 hour 40mins. Some of their other routes (22, 62/63) have journeys of up to 1 hour 30 mins.

A few lie on the boundary between urban and interurban. Go North East run the 1 and 1A which essentially serve a continuous built up area from the suburbs of Gateshead through to Whitley Bay via Newcastle and Wallsend, and both take two hours. The 42A is even more of a mammoth, but runs through some genuinely rural areas around the airport, so doesn't qualify.

A disproportionately long route given the size of its town is Stagecoach South Shields route 10. This runs through almost all the suburbs of the town and then onto Jarrow, taking 75 minutes in all. But some peak time runs carry on further, through the Tyne Tunnel to Cobalt Business Park. The final journey time is about 1 hour 40 minutes.

 

[AM9]

Although much of it is outer suburban, the Green Line route 724 running from Heathrow around Greater London to Harlow does actually pass through the centre of St Albans city. The hourly service takes about 3 hours 10 minutes off-peak, (owing to the length of the journey there are only about three runs that can be described of 'off-peak'). The rest of the weekday runs take around 3 hours 30 minutes because of school traffic and some pretty hefty peak traffic hotspot en route. Normally operated by Citaros, the ride is surprisingly comfortable.

 

[Statto]

GreenLine 724 is interurban route not outer suburban, outer suburban would be something like X26 Heathrow-Croydon, but that borders on outer suburban & inter urban

It's tricky finding long cross city routes that stay in there own council area rather than going into other council areas, most routes tend to be around 50-55 minutes

38/38A West Kirby-Croft Retail Park/Mill Park/Eastham Ferry, stays entirely in the borough of Wirral, Eastham journeys are timed to take 1 hour 50 minutes.

 

[AM9]

GreenLine 724 is interurban route not outer suburban, outer suburban would be something like X26 Heathrow-Croydon, but that borders on outer suburban & inter urban

It's tricky finding long cross city routes that stay in there own council area rather than going into other council areas, most routes tend to be around 50-55 minutes

38/38A West Kirby-Croft Retail Park/Mill Park/Eastham Ferry, stays entirely in the borough of Wirral, Eastham journeys are timed to take 1 hour 50 minutes.

The 724 is a bit of everything. From Heathrow to the St Albans border, it is within the M25 and doesn' t really get out of suburbia. Then it goes through the chain of St Albans/Hatfield/WGC followed by a five mile hop to Hertford/Ware, and another short hop to the western side of Harlow. It doesn't go through anywhere I'd call 'urban' as in the inner parts of a conventional large city/town. It really is a mixed bag but in effect, stays well within the confines of London's travel environs.

 

[Aictos]

NEXWM 11A/11C Birmingham Outer Circle is the longest urban area route in europe at 27 miles, timed to 2 hours 15 off peak can take up to 3 hours in thr peaks, although overtaken briefly by the 360 in Coventry before that was split

I agree that about the NXWM 11A/11C routes as I've done the entire route in one go, that took a lot of patience!

I can't think of any route that comes even close to it.

 

[Ayman Ilham]

In Manchester recently, the 41 merged to form an ultimate cross-city route (quite strange in these times considering such routes normally split apart) formerly operated by First, now Go North West. The full route from Middleton in the north to Sale in the south takes a good 2 hours end-to-end, especially owing to the fact that it is one of the less direct routes between Manchester and Middleton!

If you're counting ANY route that goes ACROSS a CITY, then the 51B / X51 from Rhyl to Wrexham is a good mention (well over 2 hours), as it runs through most of St Asaph, which IS a city despite being the size of a large village UPDATE: Just read the thread properly and that doesn't count since the termini of the route are not within the same city!

 

[Statto]

The 724 is a bit of everything. From Heathrow to the St Albans border, it is within the M25 and doesn' t really get out of suburbia. Then it goes through the chain of St Albans/Hatfield/WGC followed by a five mile hop to Hertford/Ware, and another short hop to the western side of Harlow. It doesn't go through anywhere I'd call 'urban' as in the inner parts of a conventional large city/town. It really is a mixed bag but in effect, stays well within the confines of London's travel environs.

724 still doesn't count, the point of the thread terminus at both parts of the same city, example 16 Whinmoor-Pudsey both ends are in Leeds, buses can take over 90 minutes end to end, 724 is a through interurban route, not city bus route

 

[Ayman Ilham]

724 still doesn't count, the point of the thread terminus at both parts of the same city, example 16 Whinmoor-Pudsey both ends are in Leeds, buses can take over 90 minutes end to end, 724 is a through interurban route, not city bus route

Oh, so my 51B suggestion for St Asaph definitely doesn't count then terminates at Rhyl and Wrexham (other towns) with a number change at Denbigh!

 

[jfisher21]

I suppose the 25 might count, Ilford (London borough of redbridge) to Oxford street. Takes 90 minutes during the day.

 

[DunsBus]

The old LRT cross-city service 66/X66, which ran from Seton Sands to South Queensferry in 1989-90, came in at 20 miles end-to-end. This was beaten by the 32/52 outer circle, 27 miles around the perimiter of Edinburgh.

 

[northken]

I suppose the 25 might count, Ilford (London borough of redbridge) to Oxford street. Takes 90 minutes during the day.

It doesn't do that anymore! Terminates at City Thameslink now.

 

[Dai Corner]

What about the Welsh Valleys?

For example the 132 Maerdy-Cardiff is over two hours in the peaks and pretty much all through urban areas.

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s... 2019 Timetables/Online 132 (Porth)300819.pdf

 

[philthetube]

Not really in the Spirit of the question but what about the london route 24, Hampstead heath to Hampstead heath, has a loop at the south end so not proper terminus.

 

[Robertj21a]

What about the Welsh Valleys?

For example the 132 Maerdy-Cardiff is over two hours in the peaks and pretty much all through urban areas.

https://tiscon-maps-stagecoachbus.s3.amazonaws.com/Timetables/Wales/1st September 2019 Timetables/Online 132 (Porth)300819.pdf

But the query relates to longest *City* bus routes !

 

[ACBest]

Centrebus Leicester operate the Circleline 40, which is hourly around the Outer Circle of the city - and taking up to 2h20 depending on the time of day.

 

[Ayman Ilham]

What about London's infamous X26 from West Croydon to Heathrow Airport? That's well over 2 hours and since it's an express route across the city, it easily wins distance-wise as well!

 

[Robertj21a]

What about London's infamous X26 from West Croydon to Heathrow Airport? That's well over 2 hours and since it's an express route across the city, it easily wins distance-wise as well!

It's under 2 hours most of the time and only about 23 miles, not that great really.

 

[Dai Corner]

But the query relates to longest *City* bus routes !

Neither of the OP's examples are entirely within a city

 

[Statto]

Neither of the OP's examples are entirely within a city

Indeed, its a bus route either a circular, or a route with both terminuses in the same city, like 11A/11C in Birmingham & 16 in Leeds being perfect examples

 

[tbtc]

If the OP means something like "longest route wholly within one council area then I think that the longest one in Sheffield would be the First 18 (City - Hillsborough) which takes up to 2h17 for a single journey and the Stagecoach 1 (High Green - Batemoor), which takes up to 1h 43 for a single journey. The difference between the two being that the 1 is a fairly straight line from north to south but the 18 is a crazy spiral (Hillsborough is about two miles from the city centre, so a bus that takes two hours to get there is pretty special!.

Once upon a time the winner would have been the 201 (City - Meadowhall, via Stocksbridge) or the 2 (City - Malin Bridge) but I don't have their durations to hand.

But then that would disqualify a lot of the examples in this thread which stray into neighbouring authorities (e.g. Seaton Sands is in East Lothian rather than Edinburgh, Whitley Bay and Gateshead aren't in Newcastle)

 

[AM9]

724 still doesn't count, the point of the thread terminus at both parts of the same city, example 16 Whinmoor-Pudsey both ends are in Leeds, buses can take over 90 minutes end to end, 724 is a through interurban route, not city bus route

The thread doesn't say anything of the sort. Treating London as a Metropolitan area which in transport terms is entirely appropriate, the 724 does not go between any 'urban' areas, but goes between various suburban locations. You are not an arbiter of the content of this thread, it's a thread for members to post in.

 

[route101]

Don't think the Birmingham 11A/11C can be beaten. But First Glasgow has some meaty cross city routes. service 60A can take up to 1hr 57 from Easterhouse to Clydebank for example

First Glasgow no 6 , East Kilbride to Clydebank

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The thread doesn't say anything of the sort. Treating London as a Metropolitan area which in transport terms is entirely appropriate, the 724 does not go between any 'urban' areas, but goes between various suburban locations. You are not an arbiter of the content of this thread, it's a thread for members to post in.

To be honest, the 724 is really an inter urban service that goes through some rural bits around Harlow and Hertford. Whilst it does grind a bit through Welwyn and St Albans, there are also some leafy bits round Maple Cross.

 

[dvboy]

But then that would disqualify a lot of the examples in this thread which stray into neighbouring authorities (e.g. Seaton Sands is in East Lothian rather than Edinburgh, Whitley Bay and Gateshead aren't in Newcastle)

Indeed the 11A/C strays into Sandwell briefly at Bearwood.