Arriva timetable changes set to improve bus links between Milton Keynes and Luton Airport
Arriva has announced a series of timetable changes to its services from Milton Keynes, which are designed to improve bus links to Luton Airport.
From May 31, changes will be introduced to various services including the X1 between Milton Keynes and Luton, which will now run directly to the airport on the busway between Dunstable and Luton.
Under the new timetable, buses will leave Milton Keynes Railway Station at 35 minutes past the hour between 6.35am and 7.35pm (except one service leaving at 7.30am) and will stop at locations across the city including The Point, Eaglestone Roundabout, Coffee Hall Roundabout and Ashland Roundabout.
It will then make its way through Hockliffe, Houghton Regis and Dunstable before arriving at the bus station at Luton Airport at 55 minutes past the hour between 7.55am and 8.55pm, giving a journey time of one hour and 20 minutes.
Return journeys will start at Luton Airport hourly between 5am and 6pm and are due to arrive at Milton Keynes Railway Station one hour and 25 minutes later.
The X1 service will run at these times daily Monday to Saturday, but there will be no services on Sundays.
Meanwhile, the X2 service between Milton Keynes and Luton Airport, which the company claims is being made faster and more direct, is estimated to take two hours under the new timetable.
Buses will generally leave Milton Keynes Station at 40 minutes past the hour on weekdays, with some variations, before going through Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable, and arriving at Luton Airport around two hours after the departure time.
The X3 service between Milton Keynes and Luton Airport is also estimated to take two hours under the new timetable.
Buses will leave Milton Keynes Station at 10 minutes past the hour on weekdays between 7am and 3pm, with variations outside these hours.
The service will then go through Bletchley, Stoke Hammond, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable, before arriving at Luton Airport around two hours after the departure time.
The X14 Milton Keynes to Aylesbury Fast service will run between the locations at peak times on weekdays, with estimated journey times of one hour and 10 minutes for the full route.
Outside of peak times, a shorter half-hour service between The Point and St Helena Avenue on the Newton Leys estate will be in operation, also serving Bletchley.
This service will run hourly on Saturdays between 8.55am and 4.55pm around Milton Keynes, but with no extensions to Aylesbury, while no buses will run on this route on Sundays.
A new X15 service is being introduced between Milton Keynes and Aylesbury, and according to Arriva is being timed to meet the start and finish times of Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and Aylesbury Grammar School.
Only one bus a day operates on this route, leaving The Point at 6.55am, before travelling through Heath and Reach, Leighton Buzzard and Wing, and arriving outside the grammar schools around 8.30am.
Operational changes are also being made to the X6 route between Milton Keynes and Aylesbury, meaning customers will have to change buses at Buckingham High Street to continue with the second half of the journey.
Full details and timetables for the adjusted services are available through the Arriva website.