New Bus Service for Donnington Heights and Donnington

Earlier this year, in July 2023, Thames Travel extended its X34 bus route to include Newbury town centre, connecting it to Didcot and Harwell Campus. This extension has been a big success, with more people using the service to travel to and from Newbury, Vodafone HQ, and Harwell Campus. The service has opened up more job opportunities at Harwell for Newbury residents, and Didcot is becoming a popular day trip destination for those visiting the heritage trains at Didcot Railway Centre. From Harwell, there are easy connections to Wantage and Oxford via other Thames Travel services.

Now, from October, the X24/X34 also serves the Donnington Heights development (Garrison Meadows and Bastion Street), travelling along the B4494 Oxford Road, and passing Donnington Square and Donnington Priory. New bus stops have been installed near Love Lane and Bastion Street, giving residents easy access to the service.

The X24/X34 operates hourly, Monday to Saturday, and great news - it's part of the £2 Single Fare Cap scheme until 31st December 2024! Whether you're commuting to work, heading to Newbury or Didcot, or visiting family and friends, this service is a convenient option.

West Berkshire Council has collaborated with David Wilson Homes to create a dedicated bus gate at the Love Lane junction, restricted by an ANPR camera system to allow only buses. This area will also feature drop-off points for the future school.

A consultation on enforcing the bus gate will be launched soon. More details can be found at: www.westberks.gov.uk/consultations.

Cllr Stuart Gourley, Executive Member for Environment and Highways at West Berkshire Council, said:

"We are excited to introduce this new bus service to Donnington Heights. It's a fantastic step towards improving transport links across West Berkshire and beyond, giving residents more travel options, and the opportunity to switch to public transport whether for work or leisure. This service is affordable, convenient, and we're proud to support better access to employment, education, and recreation for our community."

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Thames Travel, said:

"Over the first year of serving Newbury with our X24 and X34 routes, it's been pleasing to see a steady growth in the number of passengers choosing to travel on the buses. We're pleased to now be expanding to serve a greater area of Newbury, including the Donnington Heights development, and look forward to welcoming more new faces to our services over the coming weeks."

This has been made possible by a combination of developer section 106 contributions and funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council and Oxfordshire County Council for Bus Service Improvement Plans.