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Changes to route 73 from Monday 30th September 2024

In response to passenger feedback, and with support from Suffolk County Council, a revised timetable will be in place on route 73 from Monday 30th September 2024, with an additional bus at school times numbered 73A providing additional capacity.

There are no changes to services 70 and 70A, which will continue to run as normal, but passengers from Ixworth travelling to Thurston Community College should use route 73A, to relieve pressure on route 70A.

Click here to view the updated timetable

Service 70 and 70a service update

Please note - Bury St Edmunds Bus Station has changed these services to arrive and depart from Stand 7.

Changes to local bus services from 2nd September 2024

From Monday 2nd September 2024, bus services in Diss are changing!

Click here to download our new timetables from 2nd September

Simonds of Botesdale is now part of the Transport Made Simple Group, and following a detailed review of the Simonds Countrylink local bus network, we’re making substantial changes to local bus services, with the aim of making them faster, more frequent and more sustainable for the longer term.

The same friendly team of drivers from Simonds will continue to operate all routes, and over the next few months some newer buses will start to be launched, including brand new, high specification double deck buses for busy journeys on our Bury St Edmunds route, which are due for delivery in January 2025. Buses will now be branded as Central Connect, and an improved range of fares and tickets will be available across all Central Connect local bus services in the East of England.

We will remain part of the £2 fare scheme, which is due to continue at least until the end of December 2024, so any single journey on our bus network will cost just £2 (except for journeys on school bus 371, which are priced separately).

Season tickets:

We will no longer be selling traditional season tickets for home to school transport passengers. Instead, we recommend the purchase of three-monthly network zone tickets which will soon be available to purchase via the myTrip app.

Route 2

Route 2 will be renumbered to route 82. The service will now operate between Roydon and Norwich, Castle Meadow, six days a week. On Monday to Fridays at peak times buses will continue to Norwich Railway Station. Buses will operate hourly all day, offering a significant enhancement in frequency across most of the day, and a direct, great value connection to Norwich, with a single ticket priced at just £2 anywhere along the route.

In Diss, buses towards Norwich will serve the new bus stops at Diss Railway Station, before continuing towards Norwich via the new bus link road and Sawmills Road. Buses towards Diss and Roydon will not serve the railway station directly; instead, passengers should use the Station Road bus stop on Victoria Road to access the railway station when travelling in this direction.

Routes 17 and 584

Route 17 will be renumbered to route 83. Route 584 will be renumbered to route 84. There will be no changes to the timetable for either route.

Routes 304, 337 and 338

Routes 304, 337 and 338 will be withdrawn, and replaced with a new core route 70. Route 70 will offer a fast, direct bus service between Diss and Bury St Edmunds six days a week, running every hour, via Botesdale, Stanton, Ixworth and Great Barton. Buses towards Bury St Edmunds will serve the new bus interchange at Diss railway station, and all buses in each direction will serve Bury St Edmunds railway station. At school times, buses will divert via Thurston, serving Thurston Community College. These buses will be numbered 70A.

In Diss, buses towards Bury St Edmunds will serve the new bus stops at Diss Railway Station, before continuing towards Bury St Edmunds via the new bus link road and Sawmills Road. Buses towards Diss will not serve the railway station directly; instead, passengers should use the Station Road bus stop on Victoria Road to access the railway station when travelling in this direction. All buses on routes 70 and 70A also serve Bury St Edmunds railway station.

Routes 337 and 338 will be withdrawn, due to low passenger demand from villages served by these routes. This allows us to divert our vehicle and driver resources to the busier core route between Diss and Bury St Edmund, improving services for the majority of passengers.

To provide a replacement service to communities along these routes, we, in partnership with Suffolk County Council, are introducing route 73, designed to provide education, shopping and some commuter transport to and from Bury St Edmunds. This service will offer three journeys per day towards Bury St Edmunds and four journeys per day towards Garboldisham, providing a direct link from Garboldisham to Bury St Edmunds via Hopton, Market Weston, Coney Weston, Barningham, Stanton, Walsham le Willows, Badwell Ash, Stowlangtoft, Pakenham and Thurston. Connections will be available in Stanton for passengers needing to reach Diss.

Route 371

Schooldays only route 371 will have a minor change to the afternoon timetable to better meet finish times at Diss High School.

Route 581

Route 581 will be renumbered to route 81. There will be a revised timetable on all days, with an enhanced, hourly frequency between Diss and Harleston. There will also be a revised route in Harleston. From Needham, buses will run via the A143, turning left onto Mendham Lane. Buses will then run via Mendham Lane, serving the new housing estates being built there, before turning onto Church Street.

Buses that continue to Beccles will serve the Broad Street bus stop on Redenhall Road towards Beccles as normal. Buses that terminate in Harleston will turn around in Station Road and terminate at, and then re-start from, the Broad Street bus stop on Broad Street.

Other bus routes operated by Simonds

Simonds have recently been successful in winning the tender to continue to operate routes 110, 112, 113 and 114, linking Diss and Eye with Ipswich. There are no changes to the route or timetable on these services.

Saturday only routes 37A and 86 will also continue to operate, with no change to their route, timetable or service number. 

All of these routes will also now operate under the Central Connect brand.

Fares and tickets

All single fares across our network are capped at £2 as part of the UK Government’s Help for Households bus fare cap scheme. Wherever you travel - even all the way to Norwich or Bury St Edmunds - you’ll pay no more than £2. 

Return tickets are no longer available, as they do not represent good value for customers whilst the £2 fare cap scheme is in place.

If you’re travelling more regularly, or as part of a group, you might want to purchase one of our day or season tickets. These tickets are priced by zone.

• Diss Zone: Thetford, Long Stratton, Harleston, Eye, Rickinghall
• Diss and Norwich Zone: Anywhere in the Diss zone, and the remainder of route 72 from Long Stratton to Norwich
• Bury St Edmunds Zone: Between Bury St Edmunds and Stanton on routes 70 and 70A, and along the full length of route 73
• Network Zone: Anywhere on our Central Connect bus network in Norfolk and Suffolk

Highlighted tickets are discounted in partnership with Norfolk County Council using funding from HM Government. These discounts will remain in place until March 2025. All tickets will be available for purchase on the myTrip app. Day and Group Day tickets will also be available to buy on board.

English National Concessionary Travel Scheme bus passes are valid for free travel on Central Connect bus services. Passes are valid after 09:30 on weekdays, and any time at the weekend and on Bank Holidays. In addition, passes are valid on service 81 on the 07:50 departure from Diss, on service 83 on the 08:35 departure from Roydon, and on service 84 on the 09:20 departure from Pulham Market.

Norfolk Fusion tickets, which are valid for travel on all bus operators' services within Norfolk, are sold and accepted on board our buses. You can travel anywhere in Norfolk using these tickets.

A Young Person is anybody aged under 20. A Group Fusion ticket is valid for up to two adults and up to three young people.

Day and Season tickets:

Norfolk Fusion tickets:

Group tickets:

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Added 18/02/19

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