Fed up of driving through commuter traffic, or finding that parking and fuel are costing more than you'd like? Catching the bus can provide a cost-effective, stress-free alternative to driving to work, with each single fare anywhere in the county costing £3 or less – cheaper than your meal deal!
In partnership with Stagecoach, SoGlos looks at 10 of the routes that best serve commuters in the county, from fast connections between Cheltenham and Gloucester, to getting to and from rural parts of Stroud and the Forest of Dean.
Service 94, Cheltenham – Gloucester
Service 94 and its variants – the 95, 96, 94X, N94 and NX94 – are the best for travel between Cheltenham and Gloucester, with buses on the route 24 hours a day.
Running every seven to eight minutes for most of the day, there are stops in Churchdown, Longlevens and at the University of Gloucestershire's Park Campus depending on the service, with the X buses providing the fastest journey A to B, heading straight down the A40.
Service 10, Lower Tuffley – Gloucester – Brockworth – Cheltenham
Going from Lower Tuffley, all the way to Cheltenham Promenade, the 10 is a great route into Gloucester or Cheltenham if you live south of the A40, in places like Brockworth or Shurdington.
Passing through Barnwood and Hucclecote as well as Gloucester city centre, the service runs every 15 minutes for most of the day on weekdays – or every 30 minutes at night – from around 6am until midnight, or until 1.30 am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Service 97/98, Cheltenham – Gloucester
The 97/98 runs between Gloucester and Cheltenham, offering local links in Longford, Innsworth, Churchdown and Hatherley along the way.
Buses run from before 6am until after midnight, every 20 minutes at peak times and every 30 at night.
Service 66, Stroud – Abbeymead – Cheltenham
One for rural Stroudies – the 66 is an hourly service linking communities in the north of the district with the town centre, Gloucester Business Park and Cheltenham.
Running from around 7am until 6pm each way on weekdays, it'll get you from Stroud to Cheltenham in under an hour, making plenty of stops en route to Painswick as well as in Upton St Leonards, Matson, Abbeymead, Brockworth, Shurdington and along Bath Road in Cheltenham.
Service 64, Stroud – Gloucester
The main route connecting Stroud and Stonehouse to Gloucester, the 64 will get you from end to end in around an hour, with buses every 20 to 40 minutes from 6am until 10pm northbound, or 11pm southbound.
Also passing through villages like Ebley, Whitminster and Moreton Vallance, the route approaches Gloucester from the south along the A38, with stops in Hardwicke and Quedgeley, too.
Service 41, Northway – Tewkesbury – Cheltenham
The 41 is the main bus route between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham, starting from Northway Railway Station, through Tewkesbury town centre and down the A38 and A4019 to Cheltenham.
With stops at places like Coombe Hill, Uckington and Kingsditch Retail Park, within easy reach of surrounding villages, buses run every 30 to 40 minutes on weekdays – hourly after around 5.30pm – from before 6am until around 10.30pm, getting you between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham in around half an hour.
Service 22/23, Lydney – Coleford – Cinderford – Gloucester
The key service for Forest of Dean commuters, the 22 connects Coleford and Cinderford at the heart of the district with Gloucester city centre, with plenty of stops serving communities in between.
Heading through some of the bigger Forest villages like Lydbrook, Ruardean, Littledean and Westbury-on-Severn, buses run every hour from before 6am until after 11pm Monday to Friday – with connection to Lydney, too, via the additional 23 service.
Service 1, Matson – Gloucester
Service 1 connects Matson to Gloucester city centre, getting you from the suburbs to Clarence Street in the city centre within 20 to 25 minutes.
Passing through Robinswood and Barton, the service runs from just after 5am until around midnight on weekdays, every 10 minutes for most of the day – or 20 to 30 minutes before 7am and after 6pm.
Service 8, Hunts Grove – Gloucester – Brockworth
Connecting Brockworth and Coopers Edge in the east and Kingsway and Hunts Green in the south with the city centre, the 8 is a useful route for getting to and from sites like Gloucester Business Park, Gloucester Quays or the Waterwells Park and Ride Site in Quedgeley.
The service will get you into Gloucester from either Brockworth or Waterwells in around 30 minutes, with stops in Abbeymead, Hucclecote and Lower Tuffley, too. Buses run every 20 minutes for most of the day, from before 6am until after 11pm Monday to Friday.
Service D, E, Cheltenham Rail Station – Cheltenham – Bishops Cleeve
The D/E is one of Cheltenham's best used routes, connecting Bishop's Cleeve, Cheltenham Racecourse Park and Ride, the town centre and Cheltenham Spa Railway Station.
The service runs from around 5am until after 11pm, getting you from Bishop's Cleeve to the rail station forecourt in 45 minutes, with buses every ten minutes most of the day, or every 30 at night.
To plan your journey, view full timetables or buy tickets for your journey, visit stagecoachbus.com.
