Bus service changes and consultations

Passengers are reminded that there will be no bus services running in Lancashire on Christmas Day, but on Boxing Day and New Year's Day some commercial bus companies may run a limited service.

Before travelling, it is advisable to check with your local bus company or Traveline to ensure that your journey is running over Christmas and New Year. Traveline is open every day apart from Christmas Day, so you can call to speak to a travel advisor to find out about all public transport services in Lancashire and beyond on 0871 200 22 33 (calls from landlines cost 12p a minute plus your phone company's access charge). Alternatively, plan your journey using the Journey Planner at www.traveline.info

Traveline Opening Hours

• Monday 22 Dec 2025 – 07:00-20:00
• Tuesday 23 Dec 2025 – 07:00-20:00
• Christmas Eve 24 Dec 2025 – 07:00-18:00
• Christmas Day 25 Dec 2025 – Closed
• Boxing Day 26 Dec 2025 – 07:00-18:00
• Saturday 27 Dec 2025 – 07:00-20:00
• Sunday 28 Dec 2025 – 07:00-20:00
• Monday 29 Dec 2025 – 07:00-20:00
• Tuesday 30 Dec 2025 – 07:00-20:00
• New Year's Eve 31- Dec 2025 – 07:00-20:00
• New Year's Day 1 Jan 2026 – 08:00-20:00
• Friday 2 Jan 2026 – 07:00-20:00

Bus Stations and Information Offices

Accrington Bus Station

Tel. 01254 220980

Closed on 25, 26 December 2025 and 1 January 2026.

• Christmas Eve 24 Dec 2025 – 0630-1941
• Christmas Day 25 2025 – Closed
• Boxing Day 26 Dec 2025 – Closed
• Saturday 27 Dec 2025 – 0630-2241
• Sunday 28 Dec 2025 – 0805-2041
• Monday 29 Dec 2025 – 0630-2241
• Tuesday 30 Dec 2025 – 0630-2241
• New Year's Eve 31 Dec 2025 – 0630-1941
• New Year's Day 1 Jan 2026 – Closed
• Friday 2 Jan 2026 – 0515-2241

Nelson Interchange

Tel. 01282 697927

Closed on 25, 26 December 2025 and 1 January 2026.

• Christmas Eve 24 Dec 2025 – 0800-2200
• Christmas Day 25 2025 – Closed
• Boxing Day 26 Dec 2025 – Closed
• Saturday 27 Dec 2025 – 0700-1900
• Sunday 28 Dec 2025 – 0700-1900
• Monday 29 Dec 2025 – 0700-1900
• Tuesday 30 Dec 2025 – 0700-1900
• New Year's Eve 31 Dec 2025 – 0800-1800
• New Year's Day 1 Jan 2026 – Closed
• Friday 2 Jan 2026 – 0700-1900

Preston Bus Station

Tel. 01772 539858

Closed on 25 December 2025 and 1 January 2026.

Outside of opening hours services should use the Coach Station Stands A & B and Stands 37, 38 & 39 only.

• Christmas Eve 24 Dec 2025 – 0500-1900
• Christmas Day 25 2025 – Closed
• Boxing Day 26 Dec 2025 – 0800-1830
• Saturday 27 Dec 2025 – 0500-2200
• Sunday 28 Dec 2025 – 0500-2100
• Monday 29 Dec 2025 – 0500-2200
• Tuesday 30 Dec 2025 – 0500-2200
• New Year's Eve 31 Dec 2025 – 0500-1900
• New Year's Day 1 Jan 2026 – Closed
• Friday 2 Jan 2026 – 0500-2200

Blackpool Information Centre

Tel. 01253 478100

The Centre will be closed on 25 (Christmas Day), 26 (Boxing Day)and 1 January 2026.

Open normal hours between 0900-1700 on 23, 27, 28, 29 and 30 December 2025 and between 0900-1600 on 24 and 31 December 2025.

Normal opening hours will resume on 2 January 2026.

Blackburn Visitor Centre

Tel. 01254 688040

The centre will be closed on 25 (Christmas Day) and 26 (Boxing Day) December 2025 and then, closed again on 1 (New Year's Day) January 2025.

Open on 24 December 2024 (0900-1530), on 27 and 30 December 2025 (0900-1700) and on 28 and 31 December 2026 (0900-1600).

Reopen with normal hours on 2 January 2026.

Local Rail Services

No Services on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Customers are advised to check before travelling by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk

or by calling National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50

Please note:

Every effort has been made to ensure the information shown is accurate; however, Lancashire County Council is not able to accept responsibility for any inaccuracy.

Preston, South Ribble and Chorley Services

Service 46  Preston – Woodplumpton – Broughton – Goosnargh – Longridge

From 4 January 2026, Lancashire County Council will revise the service, adjusting the route between Preston City Centre and Ashton Lane Ends to operate via North Road, Garstang Road and Blackpool Road, providing bus service access to this area, instead of Fylde Road and Tulketh Brow.  These areas will continue to be served by frequent other services.

There are no changes to the overall timetable and Vision Bus will continue to operate the service on behalf of Lancashire County Council.

Blackburn Services

Service HS1  Blackburn – Royal Blackburn Hospital - Burnley - General Hospital

From 22 December 2025 Moving People Ltd will revise the timetable and withdraw the Saturday and Sunday service journeys.  This follows the initial trial period and have determined these weekend journeys are not sustainable.

There will be a minor revision to the Monday to Friday, the 0630 journey from Burnley Hospital to Blackburn will be revised to depart at 0615 and operate 15 minutes earlier throughout, arriving at Blackburn Bus Station at 0700.

Bus Services revised over Christmas and New Year Period

Please note that bus and rail services will be revised over the Christmas & New Year period.

For further information contact your local bus operator or Traveline (calls cost 12 per minute plus your phone company's access charge).  Alternatively, plan your journey using the Journey Planner at www.traveline.info

 

Lancaster Services

Services 40 Lancaster – Garstang – Preston

From 2 November 2025, Stagecoach will revise the timetable, adjusting the 2200 Sunday journey between Preston to Morecambe.

Service 83 Morecambe – Caton – Brookhouse

From 27 October 2025, Lonsdale Buses will introduce this new service, operating every hour Monday to Saturday daytime.

Service 85 Morecambe – Bolton-le-Sands – Carnforth

From 27 October 2025, Lonsdale Buses will introduce this new service, operating every hour Monday to Saturday daytime.

Service 550 Levens – Milnthorpe – Silverdale – Carnforth – Morecambe

From 27 October 2025, Lonsdale Buses will withdraw this service.

Service 555 Lancaster – Carnforth – Keswick

From 3 November 2025, Stagecoach will revise the timetable, adjusting journeys for the winter period.

Service 755 Morecambe – Carnforth – Windermere

From 3 November 2025, Stagecoach will revise the timetable, adjusting journeys for the winter period.

Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Services

Service 2 Cala Gran Holiday Park – Blackpool Zoo

From 3 November 2025, Blackpool Transport will withdraw this summer seasonal service.

Services 9/9H Blackpool – Bispham – Thornton

From 3 November 2025, Transpora will introduce this new service, creating new public transport links. Operating up to every 30 minutes Monday to Friday daytime, the new service will operate between Blackpool and Thornton via Bispham and Blackpool & Fylde College.

Preston, South Ribble and Chorley Services

Service 43 Preston – Cottam – Fulwood Royal Preston Hospital

From 3 November 2025, Lancashire County Council will revise the route and timetable, fully restoring the normal route through Cottam Hoyles Lane and extending all daily evening service journeys to operate the full route from Wychnor to/from Royal Preston Hospital.

This direct service links Preston City Centre with Fulwood Royal Preston Hospital via University, Tom Benson Way, Cottam and Fulwood.

The service will continue to operate up to every 30 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytime, and hourly during the evenings and Sundays. In conjunction with restored and enhanced Service 44, the frequency between the City Centre and Cottam will remain up to every 15 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytime and increased to every 30 minutes during evenings and Sundays.

Preston Bus will continue to operate the service on behalf of Lancashire County Council.

Service 44 Preston – Ingol – Cottam

From 3 November 2025, Lancashire County Council will revise the route and timetable, fully restoring the normal route through Cottam Hoyles Lane and, utilising developer funding secured through the planning process to introduce extended Monday to Saturday evening service journeys to operate the full route.

The service will continue to operate up to every 30 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytime, and hourly during the evenings and Sundays. In conjunction with fully restored Service 43, the frequency between the City Centre and Cottam will remain up to every 15 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytime and increased to every 30 minutes during evenings and Sundays.

Preston Bus will continue to operate the service on behalf of Lancashire County Council.

Service 48 Preston – Fulwood – Royal Preston Hospital – Cottam – Lea

From 3 November 2025, Lancashire County Council will revise timetable, utilising developer funding secured through the planning process, to introduce new hourly Monday to Saturday evening journeys between Preston and Royal Preston Hospital via Holme Slack, Longsands and Fulwood. There will also be some retiming of AM & PM peak journeys to improve overall service reliability.

Preston Bus will continue to operate the service on behalf of Lancashire County Council.

Burnley Services

Service 1 Burnley – Stoops Estate

From 2 November 2025, The Burnley Bus Company will revise the route and timetable, adjusting the route in the Stoops area to serve new housing by extending further along Rossendale Road to the top Cog Lane. The service will operate as normal to Harold Avenue then via Rossendale Road to Cog Lane and Coal Clough Lane and normal route back into Burnley. Dalton Street and Woodcourt Avenue will no longer be served with access at the bus stops on Cog Lane.

Services 3 and 4 Burnley – Pike Hill – Worsthorne

From 2 November 2025, The Burnley Bus Company will revise the timetable in partnership with Lancashire County Council, utilising HM Government funding through the Bus Service Improvement Plan to introduce enhanced evening and Sunday services.

There will be a new later evening service operating 7 days a week, with Service 3 operating every two hours and Service 4 through to Worsthorne operating every two hours, combining to provide an hourly evening service between Burnley and Pike Hill.

Additionally, new hourly Sunday daytime Service 4 journeys to Worsthorne will be introduced, combining with Service 3 to provide two buses an hour between Burnley and Pike Hill.

Service 5

From 2 November 2025, The Burnley Bus Company will revise the timetable, adjusting times to improve overall service reliability.

Service X43

From 2 November 2025, The Burnley Bus Company will introduce an enhanced temporary timetable on route, in the run up to Christmas, between 2 November and 20 December. Additional journeys will operate on Saturdays and Sundays to provide additional capacity for the duration of the Manchester Christmas Markets.

On bank holidays, most bus service providers generally operate a 'Sunday' service on their routes.

Lancashire County Council's supported bus services will operate a Sunday service on the following Bank Holiday dates:

• 18 April – Good Friday
• 21 April – Easter Monday
• 5 May – May Bank Holiday
• 26 May – Spring Bank Holiday
• 25 August - Summer Bank Holiday

For full details, please contact the bus operator concerned.

Before travelling, please check your bus operator's website for full details.  Bus operator details.