Eleven new subsidised bus services across Westmorland and Furness have now been operating since Spring, and the summer holidays mean more people can get about to more places without having to use a car.
The new routes have been added to schedules whilst a further ten services that were supported by the council last year are being maintained until November, thanks to £1.7 million of Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+) funding from the Department for Transport.
The short-term funding aims to create a commercially viable network of self-sustaining bus routes.
Amongst the 11 new routes now being subsidised is the 105 linking Greystoke and Penrith.
The 105 had been absent from timetables for over a decade, and a local Greystoke Bus Action Group successfully fought the case for it to be reinstated. The group has now become the Greystoke Bus User Group and is Chaired by Pam Wood. “We knew that some people were feeling they would have to sell their house as they got older because they couldn't access shops and medical apppointments. That is now less of an issue because they can live in the village they love, whilst catching the bus and stay connected to vital services in the town.”
As well as people from Greystoke and the surrounding area using the bus to go into Penrith, Pam Wood is keen to see more people using the 105 to come out and experience the attractions that Greystoke has to offer. “We have some fantastic facilities in this village. We have Greystoke Castle, a newly restored wedding and events venue; a fabulous open air swimming pool open between May and September and a really great village hall that is bookable by anyone wishing to hold an event. The village hall is also home to our annual beer festival held in September each year. As well as the very popular quirky workshops there are pubs, restaurants and businesses all along the route in and out of Greystoke. This community welcomes visitors arriving by bus and some local businesses offer discounts on production of that days bus ticket.”
This message is backed up by Cllr John Murray, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Regulatory Services. “What we're hoping to do now is see people changing their habits, stop using the car and get the bus from Greystoke to Penrith, or indeed out from Penrith to this wonderful active community in Greystoke.
"We're now seeing even more demand from other places saying, ‘we want a bus route too’. And that's fantastic because that's the way that we can change habits and regenerate parts of the economy, because we can see people going to work, doing the shopping, going for education, on commercial bus routes and subsidised bus routes, and making a real difference to our community.”
The eleven new services funded from Spring 2025 until Spring 2026 are:
• 1 Walney Biggar Bank – Barrow Hospital: doubling the Sunday daytime frequency from hourly to every 30 minutes
• 2 & 4 Walney West Shore – Barrow Holbeck Park: later journeys from 7:15pm to 11:15pm
• 3 Barrow Newbarns – Ormsgill: doubling the Sunday daytime frequency to every 30 minutes
• 11 Ulverston – Barrow via Coast Road: new twice a day Friday service and an extra return journey on a Tuesday to bring the level of service in line with other days providing better access to local services for residents and local camp sites
• 105 Greystoke – Penrith: new Monday to Saturday service improving links from villages West of Penrith
• 106 Shap – Penrith via Lowther and Clifton: new twice daily Monday to Saturday service
• 2P Penrith North Lakes School – Castletown: restoring popular afternoon school bus
• 646 Penrith Town Service: earlier and later journeys on schooldays
• 561 Appleby – Kendal: new Wednesday direct service
• 563 Kirkby Stephen – Appleby – Penrith: enhanced current off-peak service with extra journeys including peak times for work and education
• X12 Coniston – Ulverston: new Summer Saturday service introducing four trips per day
The ten council-funded routes that will be maintained until November 2025 are:
• 6 Barrow – Windemere: additional journey on a Sunday morning and daily late evening service improving access to employment in the central Lakes and late return
• 40 Kendal Town: hourly Sunday service improving access across Kendal
• 104 Penrith – Carlisle: doubling the frequency of the current Monday to Saturday service to every 30 minutes
• 530 Cartmel – Kendal: Monday to Friday service four times a day
• 532 Cartmel – Grange: Monday to Friday service five times a day
• 552 (Carnforth then) Arnside – Kendal: Two journeys a day on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday enhancing the commercial Monday, Wednesday, and Friday service
• 555 Kendal – Lancater via Milnthorpe and Holme: extra later return service
• 597 Windermere Town Service: Friday morning service every 30 minutes enhancing the locally funded Tuesday and Thursday service
• 680A Alston – Carlisle: one trip a day on a Monday and Wednesday.
• X4/5 Penrith – Keswick: doubling the daytime frequency of the Monday to Saturday service to every 30 minutes.
To access information on the current bus timetables across the area visit Find a bus | Westmorland and Furness Council
To see more on the discounts offered and to read about the Greystoke Bus User Group visit Greystoke Transport Hub – Transport Hub for Greystoke and the Surrounding Villages
To see a video about the Greystoke bus service visit our YouTube channel