{"id":68262,"date":"2026-01-07T13:56:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T13:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=68262"},"modified":"2026-01-07T13:57:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T13:57:04","slug":"night-buses-now-all-year-round-as-new-route-for-cranbrook-added","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/night-buses-now-all-year-round-as-new-route-for-cranbrook-added\/","title":{"rendered":"Night buses now all year round as new route for Cranbrook added\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>A new town near Exeter will see a Saturday night bus service come into effect this weekend, helping people get home from the city until 4am.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new route from Exeter to Cranbrook has been added as new funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner\u2019s office sees most existing routes continue for the whole of 2026.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The night buses&nbsp;were first launched in 2023&nbsp;as a Christmas service&nbsp;and&nbsp;then also a summer service&nbsp;before being&nbsp;expanded in 2025 to include seven new routes and&nbsp;operating&nbsp;from May to December. It&nbsp;has been popular with members of the public looking for a cheap, safe way to get home after a night out, or getting to or from work in the early hours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Routes running from this weekend, Saturday, January 10, are:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Exeter to Cullompton, Cranbrook, Crediton and Exmouth\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Barnstaple to Bideford and Ilfracombe\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plymouth to Tavistock and Saltash\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Torquay to Paignton and Brixham\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A service from Exeter to Dawlish has been scrapped due to low passenger numbers. A new provider is being&nbsp;sought&nbsp;in the hope of reinstating the popular summer night bus in Newquay.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since May 2025,&nbsp;just over&nbsp;16,200&nbsp;passengers across Devon and Cornwall \u2013 an average of 530 passengers every Saturday night&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;have taken advantage of the maximum \u00a33 fare to travel on a night bus. It is hoped that the route for Cranbrook \u2013 which has a fast-growing population due to the expansion of the town \u2013 will prove just as popular.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision to include the new route and provide more money to keep services running all year was&nbsp;a very easy&nbsp;one&nbsp;to make,&nbsp;according to Commissioner Alison Hernandez.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>She said: \u201cBeing the main funder of these late-night buses is something I\u2019m really proud of, and I\u2019m delighted to add Cranbrook to the list of communities who now have a safe way to stay out late without worrying about the cost of a taxi or making a bad decision to drive after having a drink.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe buses are helping people to go straight home rather than hanging around on the streets after leaving a venue, which has led to a reduction in antisocial behaviour and violence.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;a win-win for communities and people out in the night-time economy, so helping this to continue for 2026 was&nbsp;a very&nbsp;easy&nbsp;decision&nbsp;for my office&nbsp;to make.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Peter Knight, Managing Director at Stagecoach\u00a0South West, said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cFollowing a successful trial period, Stagecoach, in partnership with the OPCC, who have provided funding for the service, is pleased to introduce new late-night bus services in Exeter from Saturday, January 10, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cService 4,&nbsp;operating&nbsp;between Exeter City Centre (Cheeke&nbsp;Street) and Cranbrook, will run hourly through the night on Saturday nights into Sunday mornings, with four journeys from Exeter and three from Cranbrook between&nbsp;approximately midnight&nbsp;and 4am. In line with the trial period, passengers can expect increased frequency, with reliable hourly services throughout the night.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe introduction of these services reflects positive demand during the trial and our ongoing commitment to supporting Exeter\u2019s night-time economy, shift workers, and late-night travellers by providing safe and sustainable transport options.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>BCU Commander for NEW Devon, Temporary Chief Superintendent Antony Hart, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe night bus service offers people living outside of the city centre an efficient and cost-effective mode of transport home\u00a0which helps to keep people safe and prevent violence against women and girls.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Data from night buses operating in other areas across the force area suggests we will also see a drop in drink-driving and antisocial behaviour&nbsp;which will have a positive impact on our communities.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-695e662b90e98\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor\u00a0Jacqi\u00a0Hodgson, Devon County Council\u2019s cabinet member for climate change and biodiversity, said:<\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cThe night buses continue to provide a valuable\u00a0service\u00a0and it is excellent news that an\u00a0additional\u00a0route has now been added. There are so many benefits to these night buses, from safety to affordability as well as helping people to make changes to their travel habits and reduce their carbon footprint.\u00a0\u00a0We are pleased to be among the partners helping to make these services possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/8\/2\/1\/Info00001128\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Jacqi Hodgson\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=1128\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Leader of the Green and Independent Group and Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Bio-diversity<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p>Councillor Vikki Wright, chair of Cranbrook Town Council said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cCranbrook residents now have the benefit of a late-night bus service connecting the town to Exeter, making it easier and safer for people to travel home after an evening out. This is a positive step for community safety and helps support the local evening economy. We are pleased to see this service extended to our town and encourage residents to make use of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>More information about bus times can be found on the <a href=\"https:\/\/eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stagecoachbus.com%2Fpromos-and-offers%2Fsouth-west%2Fnight-buses&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmike.bomford%40devon.gov.uk%7Cf56545f1192d462a0ed308de4dead805%7C8da13783cb68443fbb4b997f77fd5bfb%7C0%7C0%7C639033868236133844%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=327x0mdLDowZDF%2F8W21wSKf%2FVtOtSVWB4IpmgbenoWo%3D&amp;reserved=0\" rel=\"noopener\">Stagecoach website<\/a> and app.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":68263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24,986],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dcc-homepage","category-roads-and-transport"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":68263,"title":"News Page size (69)","alt":"VIP guests, including representatives from Devon County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner, standing in front of the Night 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