Brighton to Eastbourne bus route axed for winter

A bus route linking Eastbourne and Brighton in East Sussex is being axed just five months after it was launched.

Operator Stagecoach said the 701 route had not made enough in fares to justify continuing during the winter, but promised to review the situation in spring 2025.

The route, opened in May, also served Seaford, Newhaven and Falmer, and will end on 17 November.

Local transport campaigner Nash Travelman said "it was a shame it has met its end".

He told BBC Radio Sussex: "It was certainly brave to have taken it on. Once you put these routes in place it's very hard to take them away because people will use them.

"There could have been more work, there wasn't a branding as such.

"The 701 has been very reliable, it's a unique service and it's just a shame that it's met its end."

The company's managing director, Joel Mitchell, said: "We're grateful to everyone that uses the service and we're really sorry to have to step it down at this point.

"Initially the route did better than we expected and we were pleased with the early uptick in passenger numbers, but growth hasn't quite been enough to be able to sustain the service, especially through the winter, so we're putting it on hold with a view to looking at how we can bring it back in one form or another, perhaps next year."

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.