Arriva to make biggest expansion to MK network in five years

As part of its improvements to services in Milton Keynes for this year, Arriva is launching a new bus service connecting key destinations around the city.

The Loop service is to start on 6 January, and represents the biggest expansion to the city’s network in at least five years.

Buses will call at new destinations within the city, including Oakgrove, Kingston, Woburn Sands, Bow Brickhill, Caldecotte, The Open University, MK Hospital, Stadium MK, Bletchley, Furzton, Westcroft, Shenley Wood and Milton Keynes city centre.

The route will operate in a clockwise and anticlockwise direction, up to every hour each way, Monday to Saturdays.

The Loop has been created from listening to resident’s voices requesting better bus connectivity, as well as working with the Milton Keynes Bus Partnership to share insights on where and when people are travelling on other types of transport.

The service has been designed to create easier connections to other local destinations alongside longer distance services to Leighton Buzzard, Luton and Luton Airport.

Arriva has made The Loop possible by working successfully with Milton Keynes City Council through the Milton Keynes Bus Partnership.

“Our vision is to create a sustainable, attractive, wide-reaching bus network in our city that we’ve been proud to serve for decades” – Network manager for Arriva, Matt King

Network manager for Arriva, Matt King, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to new bus route which boosts bus connectivity to more communities within Milton Keynes.

“Our vision is to create a sustainable, attractive, wide-reaching bus network in our city that we’ve been proud to serve for decades – and The Loop reinforces our dedication to not only boost accessibility for existing customers, but also to attract those who perhaps haven’t used the bus in some time and would love to reduce their carbon footprint.

“We’ll be closely monitoring how this new service runs and we’re always open to listening to what our customers say, so we’d encourage them to let us know how they find it.

“Our focus in the last year to ensure the foundations of our existing network are strong has enabled us to head into 2025 with the ability to expand the reach of our bus services.”

“Route flexibility is key to encouraging more people to choose the bus over the car for more of their journeys” – Milton Keynes City Council’s interim cabinet member for transportation, Cllr Akash Nayee

Milton Keynes City Council’s interim cabinet member for transportation, Cllr Akash Nayee, said: “I’m delighted that Arriva will be operating this new MK Loop circular route to residents, helping to connect people and places without the need to travel into the city centre first.

“Route flexibility is key to encouraging more people to choose the bus over the car for more of their journeys which will help us to reach our target to be a carbon-neutral city by 2030.”