Worcester hospital to get Sunday bus services in package of city improvements

First Worcester has announced that services 38 and X38 (Worcestershire Royal Hospital to Worcester Bus Station) will now also operate on Sundays, connecting the hospital with the wider Worcester network, with hourly services between 9am and 6pm.  

Another major boost to the network will see service 30 (Worcester to Dines Green) enhanced at peak hours Monday to Friday, with the service moving from every 30 minutes to up to every 10 minutes. There will also be a slight enhancement to frequency on Saturdays and Sundays, alongside timetable changes to improve punctuality.   

More early morning and early evening services will be introduced to complement these changes, including earlier X50 (Worcester to Evesham) trips and some extra trips on the 144 (Worcester to Catshill) and 44 (Worcester to Great Malvern) in the early evening.   

The changes are part of a bi-annual review of routes by First Worcester, and will come into force on Sunday 1st September. Other changes include:

• The Baynham Estate will get an hourly service Monday to Saturday on revised services 28/X28 (Worcester to sixth form), which will replace the current service 45 (Worcester to Sixth Form College).
• Additional journeys in the morning and evening on service 31 (Worcester to Henwick Park).
• Improved evening service on Saturdays with later buses on core city routes: 30 (Worcester to Dines Green), 35 (Worcester to Blackpole) and 38 (Worcester to Royal Hospital).
• Additional journeys on service 363 (Worcester to Ryall), connecting Worcester with Upton-upon-Severn.
• The U1 (Worcester to university) and S24 (Pershore to Sixth Form College) services will be withdrawn due to low passenger numbers. Instead, the link between the two will be maintained on enhanced services 31 and 31A (Worcester to Henwick Park) and service X50. 

Further details about all the changes will be published on the First Worcester website in the coming weeks, and customers are advised to check their routes before travelling.  

Rob Pymm, Commercial Director for First Worcester, said: “It’s a really exciting time for our Worcester business and we are proud to be making various enhancements across the network in response to growing demand and confidence in our services; it’s great news for the city and its residents.

“New Sunday buses connecting Worcestershire Royal Hospital to the network will mean that it is now accessible by public transport from as far as Bromsgrove and Pershore. 

“We are also investing in some of our most popular routes in Worcester. Customers of service 30 can expect more regular buses and more room on board during rush hours, as well as more frequent and punctual Saturday services, alongside service 35.  

“We have also been using the latest planning software on our X50 service, and as a result customers can expect a far more punctual timetable on this route from September. 

“With all of these improvements and adult single fares still at £2 we’re making bus travel accessible and encouraging many more people to travel by bus.” 

Councillor Marc Bayliss, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Worcestershire County Council, said:  “I’m really pleased to hear about the changes that First Bus are bringing in for Worcester this autumn. They should give our residents access to key areas of the city, such as the hospital on a regular basis, whilst also giving people more flexibility and more choice on how they travel.”

First Bus has consulted on the new routes with local authorities, including Worcestershire County Council, ahead of them coming into effect in September.