Reading Buses route to go 24/7?

Reading Buses is consulting over whether to operate its claret 21 service 24 hours a day. As part of a 24 hour operation, the claret 21 would see buses running every hour during the week and half an hour on Friday and Saturday nights until the small hours. Then it would be hourly overnight until the following morning’s service starts. Under the proposals, the routes would see buses running on them every ten minutes during the daytime Monday to Saturday. During University term time it is the intention to bolster the service to every five minutes between Central Reading and the University. It is the fastest growing route in the operator’s network, up nearly 10% year on year. This strong passenger growth has meant the service has already been increased in frequency to its present 15 minutes during the day and 20 minutes on Sundays. Under the consultation proposals the company plans additional improved services to parts of Reading.

CEO, James Freeman, said, ‘We are responding to Reading’s traffic congestion problems with more buses in service and our plans for night buses mirror what has happened in London, though on a smaller scale. Twenty years ago there were 60 night buses in London. Today there are 950 and I see that happening in Reading although in smaller numbers.’