First Essex is launching sweeping changes to its Basildon bus network on 26 July 2026, adding new direct hospital connections and extending a key route to Harold Wood Station. The overhaul, detailed on the First Bus website, introduces three new or extended services while withdrawing its longstanding number 9 route between Basildon and Brentwood.
The existing Service 351 will run hourly Monday to Saturday, extending beyond Warley to Basildon and Basildon Hospital via Warley Street and the A127. Service B1 gains a major extension past Laindon to Harold Wood Station, operating every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays and Public Holidays. The route will follow Westmayne, the A127, Hall Lane, Shepherds Hill and Gubbins Lane. A brand new Service B6 will launch, running hourly between Basildon Hospital, the town centre and Laindon Centre, passing through Laindon Link, Hatterill and Langdon Hills.
The withdrawal of Service 9 means First Bus will no longer operate the connection, with NIBS Buses taking over only the tendered daytime Monday to Friday journeys and the full Saturday timetable. Commercial Monday to Friday journeys on the route are being cut entirely. Residents in Langdon Hills will now use the new B6 instead of B2 for hospital trips, as Service B2 is being restructured to run between Basildon, Laindon Centre and Victoria Road via Great Knightleys, with its evening journeys renumbered B2E. Service B3 will offer more consistent Sunday provision, running every 20 to 25 minutes between 9am and 2.30pm.
First Bus describes the changes as part of a drive towards simpler routes, more frequent buses, and new connections across Essex. Some of the adjustments are supported by Essex County Council’s Love Your Bus funding, which is also financing new Sunday services on route 336 and late-night journeys elsewhere in the county. The move follows a years-long restructuring of First Essex’s presence in the area, with other operators including Stephensons of Essex, Central Connect and Arriva stepping in on various evening and local routes.
Residents are urged to check new timetables before 26 July, particularly anyone who relied on Service 9 for weekday travel, as the retained NIBS Buses service will offer reduced coverage. Full details of all route changes are available on the First Bus website.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
