New Buzz service to Tilehurst Triangle via Rivermead

A new bus route from central Reading which serves Rivermead Leisure Centre, Portman Road, Kentwood Hill and Tilehurst Triangle is starting on Tuesday 2 April.

The Buzz 18 will replace the Buzz 42 route and will also be calling at the new River Academy secondary school which is due to open in Richfield Avenue in September.

The new service is part of Reading Borough Council’s £26m Bus Service Improvement Plan, funded by the Department for Transport, and is operated by Reading Buses.

Buzz 18 will head off from Kenavon Drive to Reading town centre and then continue towards Rivermead and the River Academy.

It will then travel along Cow Lane and Portman Road where it will call at several new bus stops, including Portman Road Tesco Extra, on towards Tilehurst Station and then turn up Kentwood Hill and finish at Tilehurst Triangle.

The service will run between central Reading and Tilehurst Triangle mostly every 40 minutes all day, Monday to Saturday, and up to every 20 minutes between the town centre and Kenavon Drive, Monday to Friday as Buzz 18a.

Buses will run hourly between Kenavon Drive and Tilehurst Triangle, via the town centre and Rivermead on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

A single fare between Kenavon Drive and the town centre will cost just £1.30, and £1.60 between the town centre and Rivermead. Single fares for the rest of the route will be capped at £2. Customers making multiple journeys in one day can use the Council’s Reading All-Bus ticket from just £3.40 when using Tap on Tap Off or via the Reading Buses app.

The buses serving the route will be powered by compressed natural gas and branded in the green Buzz colours.

Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:

“The new Buzz 18 will offer a regular service to users of Rivermead Leisure Centre and provide a crucial public transport link to River Academy when it opens in September.

“It will also restore a service to Kentwood Hill and be handy for supermarket shoppers and users of Tilehurst Station.

“This new service is part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to providing more sustainable ways for residents to travel around Reading, which contributes to a healthier local environment for residents.”

Robert Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Reading Buses, said:

“We are delighted to be introducing this new cross-town link that creates a number of new connections between Tilehurst, Portman Road, Rivermead and the Forbury, and expanding our fleet of sustainably sourced biomethane fuelled buses to run the service.”

The introduction of the Buzz 18 follows the launch of the Buzz 9 to Green Park Station in January, the new hourly Sunday 650 to Green Park Village and Mereoak Park & Ride and the 300 park and ride service between Mereoak and the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The services are part of the Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan which aims to increase use of public transport in Reading, therefore reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality and leading to better health and wellbeing for residents.