Coastliner Express: New summer rapid service to cut one hour off Leeds to Scarborough bus route

A ‘Coastliner Express’ route is set to be introduced this summer – slashing an hour off travel times from Leeds to Scarborough.

The bus route has been exceedingly popular in recent months, with many queueing at Leeds Bus Station on a morning to visit the coast.

TransDev said the route was “booming” and was the key inspiration behind a new Coastliner timetable offering faster journeys, more seats and a more reliable service.

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The Government-supported £2 fare cap means customers travelling from Leeds to either Scarborough or Whitby can save 87 percent off the normal price of a one-way trip.

Coastliner Express, Yorkshire’s go-faster bus route from city to coast, is coming back for the summer as the centrepiece of a package of improvements delivering more seats, more often to meet booming customer demand.Coastliner Express, Yorkshire’s go-faster bus route from city to coast, is coming back for the summer as the centrepiece of a package of improvements delivering more seats, more often to meet booming customer demand.
Coastliner Express, Yorkshire’s go-faster bus route from city to coast, is coming back for the summer as the centrepiece of a package of improvements delivering more seats, more often to meet booming customer demand.

From Sunday July 9 until Saturday September 2, Coastliner Express will depart from Leeds City Bus Station in the morning, calling only at Seacroft Green before running directly along the A64.

The express will pick up at all normal Coastliner stops in York and Malton, running fast along the A64 elsewhere to offer faster journeys to the coast – with an early evening departure from Scarborough following the same fast route.

The usual journey time for the service is 3 hours and 25 minutes – but the rapid service will cut an hour from this to be around 2 hours and 25 minutes instead.

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Coastliner Operations Manager Kel Pizzuti said: “The £2 ‘Price Drop’ fare cap means we are seeing more customers travelling with us than ever before, and with this amazing bargain offer in place until the end of October, we’re delighted to be able to make improvements which will make such a positive difference this summer.

“Increasing congestion through York and on the busy A64 can make Coastliner a very challenging route to run on time, so we’re making some changes to times from most stops to ensure our timetable is as robust as possible.

“We’re also adding extra buses and drivers into the Coastliner network, to help us deliver a more punctual service. Our plan is to improve timekeeping while making sure we can carry all of our customers in comfort at this busiest time of year.”

Other changes designed to help buses run more reliably include faster journeys and fewer stops on the regular Coastliner 840 and 843 routes between Leeds and Seacroft.

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Many alternative routes are available to those making local journeys in and out of Leeds city centre, the company said.

Meanwhile, some journeys on Britain’s Most Scenic Bus Route, Coastliner 840 over the Moors to Whitby, will no longer serve Kirby Misperton for Flamingo Land to boost punctuality and cut journey times across the wider route. Other Coastliner journeys between Leeds, York, Pickering and Thornton-le-Dale will continue to run via Kirby Misperton.

A second bus will also run throughout the summer on the last departure of the day from Whitby as far as Malton, to provide extra capacity and carry customers more comfortably.

New timetables for the regular Coastliner 840 and 843 routes, and the new Coastliner Express X43 fast service, are available now online at the TransDev website and printed in the near future.