Carlton residents will gain a direct bus link to some of the area’s most popular retail parks from Sunday 21 June, after Nottingham City Transport confirmed it is extending the Red 45 route. The service will run to Sainsbury’s, East Point Retail Park and Lady Bay Retail Park, opening up straightforward public transport access to stores such as Smyths Toys, The Range and Hobbycraft for the first time without the need for multiple connections.
Buses will operate every 30 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes through to Bakersfield, with evening and Sunday journeys continuing to serve the City, Victoria Retail Park and Rivendell. The extension replaces the discontinued Lilac 24, which had previously covered the section between Victoria Retail Park, Rivendell, Gedling and Carlton Hill. Under the new arrangement, Red 45 will run beyond Rivendell along Burton Road, through Carlton Square and Carlton Hill, before terminating on Cardale Road.
The change forms part of a wider network review taking effect on the same date, which NCT has been developing alongside the East Midlands County Combined Authority since the start of the year. NCT says the overhaul is driven by a stubborn decline in passenger numbers since the pandemic, with roughly one in ten fewer customers travelling each year as home working and online shopping reshape commuting and retail habits. A further 3.77 per cent drop in the last year has been linked to the 50 per cent increase in the Bus Fare Cap introduced at the beginning of 2025.
While the Red 45 extension creates new opportunities for shoppers and workers heading to the Colwick Industrial Estate, the broader review also includes frequency reductions and withdrawals on some other routes, particularly during evenings and Saturday mornings. NCT has warned that higher operating costs and ongoing major roadworks in Nottingham have forced difficult decisions, but says financial backing from EMCCA has allowed it to protect several services that would otherwise have faced deeper cuts.
For Carlton residents, the practical outcome is a single-seat ride to major retail destinations on Daleside Road that previously required changes or long walks from the nearest stop. The new link also connects Gedling and Rivendell more directly to the retail parks, responding to calls from Rivendell residents for better bus services in their area. Full details of the timetable and stopping points are available on the Nottingham City Transport website.
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