New bus service to UEA and Hospital introduced

From Monday 6 February, people living North of Norwich have another way to access the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) using the bus, thanks to a brand-new service introduced as part of Norfolk County Council's Bus Service Improvement plan.

The 512 service is operated by Konectbus and funded by money secured from the Department for Transport (DfT) to improve bus services across the county.

The service which starts next Monday, runs hourly with the first bus arriving at the NNUH at 7:10am and the last bus departing at 6:25pm.

The bus runs from Reepham Road and stops at the Airport Park and Ride site then at various points around the ring road including; Boundary Road (for Asda), Sweet Briar Road (for the retail park), Farrow Road (for the community hospital). It will then stop on Earlham Road for the UEA, before ending at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

This complements other services to the UEA and Hospital run by First Bus.

Cllr Graham Plant, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport, said:

"The UEA and the hospital are both important locations in Norwich receiving huge numbers of employees and visitors each day. This new service brings people living to the North of Norwich and into North Norfolk an option to travel more sustainably and save money on petrol and parking charges. Being able to connect at the park and ride site gives even more flexibility for those living further away, plus offering easy connections with Sanders Coaches from the North Norfolk coast means this service will be a benefit to residents near and far."

A single trip on the services will cost just £2 until the end of March as Konectbus are one of the local operators taking part in the fare cap promotion funded by HM Government as part of their Help for Households campaign.

Gavin Smith, Managing Director of Go East Anglia/Konectbus said:

"Konectbus are delighted to have been involved with the BSIP funding project alongside other local operators and Norfolk County Council. This new route further supports the many enhancements being made across our network this Spring and the recent introduction of Route 11C from the Heartseases Estate, is already helping many residents to gain better, affordable and more sustainable access into the city centre. The introduction of this new service will benefit so many and is also included within the Government's £2 bus fare scheme for single journeys."

This new service is being funded by the £49.55m funding which Norfolk County Council was successful in securing from the Department for Transport  to use on improving bus services across the County over the next three years.

Approximately £12m of the funding has been allocated to provide new or expanded bus routes and increase service frequencies on key routes, including more evening and weekend services.

Visit the Konectbus website for the full timetable.