Brighton & Hove Regency Route

The Regency Route
The Regency Route
	Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TL on route 29A in November 2023
Overview
Operator	Brighton & Hove
Former operator(s)	Arriva Southern Counties ; Stagecoach South East ;
Routes	Regular28 Brighton – Lewes – Ringmer – Hailsham – Polegate – Eastbourne 29 Brighton – Lewes – Uckfield – Crowborough – Tunbridge Wells 29A Brighton – Lewes – Isfield – Uckfield – Heathfield Limited29B Brighton – Lewes – Ringmer – Uckfield – Crowborough – Tunbridge Wells (1 bus per day each way)29X Tunbridge Wells – Crowborough – Uckfield – Lewes – Brighton (1 southbound bus per day)
Route map
	Legend
	Kent
	East Sussex
	East Sussex
	Brighton & Hove
	Brighton
	City Centre
	This diagram: view ; talk ; edit ;

Last updated March 27, 2024

The Regency Route is a name given since 1977 to a regular bus service between Brighton in East Sussex and Tunbridge Wells in Kent, both towns with a Regency heritage.^[1] The route runs via the East Sussex towns of Lewes, Uckfield and Crowborough.

The Brighton to Tunbridge Wells route is one of few successful examples of bustitution, as it replaced through trains from Brighton via Lewes and Uckfield to Tunbridge Wells withdrawn in the 1960s when the railway lines from Lewes to Uckfield and Eridge to Tunbridge Wells were closed by British Railways.^[2] The bus route now provides access to the Lavender Line and the Spa Valley Railway preserved railways which run on lengths of those two railways. The journey from end to end is timed at between 1¾ and 2 hours.

Originally operated jointly by Southdown Brighton & Hove (now Brighton & Hove), Southdown East Sussex (now Stagecoach in East Sussex), and Maidstone & District Motor Services (now Arriva Southern Counties), the service is now operated solely by Brighton & Hove. Since April 2011, Brighton & Hove has used the Regency Route branding for the route 28 service from Brighton to Lewes and Ringmer as well as the 29.

History

1977: The route number 729 and Regency Route name were introduced by Southdown Motor Services operating between Brighton and Tunbridge Wells, a joint operation with Maidstone & District Motor Services. Service 28 was a shortened variant of the 128/728 route to Eastbourne, running as far as Ringmer.
1 January 1986: Formation of Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company from the Brighton operations of Southdown Motor Services. The route remained a joint operation with Southdown (from its Lewes depot) and Maidstone & District.
1998 - Maidstone & District Motor Services was acquired by Arriva to form Arriva Kent & East Sussex
26 September 2004 - 729 re-numbered to 29.
25 September 2005 - Stagecoach and Arriva withdraw from joint service, route entirely Brighton & Hove.
9 April 2009 - A night bus service running three days a week, the N29, was introduced over the route between Brighton and Uckfield.^[3]
17 April 2011 - 28 and 29 both branded as Regency routes; combined 10-minute frequency between Brighton and Lewes.
2019 - Some of the buses used were painted in a purple and gold livery and given purple upholstery.
2022 - Some of the purple buses were decorated for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and later some were given icons of Brighton (i360 tower), Lewes (castle) or Tunbridge Wells (Spa Valley Railway locomotive).
23 July 2023 - 28 extended beyond Ringmer to/from Hailsham, Polegate and Eastbourne; new route 29A between Brighton, Uckfield and Heathfield; services via Halland reduced to just one bus per weekday each way and renumbered 29B.^[4]

Current services

The Regency Route currently consists of the following services:^[5]

Route 28 operates between Brighton and Eastbourne via Falmer, Lewes, Ringmer, Hailsham and Polegate. Buses operate every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays (with an extra bus each hour between Brighton and Lewes) and hourly on Sundays between Brighton and Hailsham only.
Routes 29/29B/29X operate between Brighton and Tunbridge Wells via Falmer, Lewes, Uckfield, Crowborough and Eridge (with buses on route 29B additionally serving Ringmer and Halland). Route 29 operates every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays and hourly on Sundays. Route 29B operates a single return journey on weekdays only and route 29X operates a single early morning southbound journey on weekdays only.
Route 29A operates between Brighton and Heathfield via Falmer, Lewes, Isfield, Uckfield and Blackboys. Buses operate hourly on all days of the week.

These services combine to give an off-peak service of a bus every 10 minutes in each direction between Brighton and Lewes on weekdays and Saturdays, and a bus every 20 minutes in each direction on Sundays.

Related Research Articles

East Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Brighton and Hove, and the county town is Lewes.

Wealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England. Its council is based in Hailsham, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Crowborough, Polegate and Uckfield, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The district's name comes from the Weald, the landscape and ancient woodland which occupies much of the centre and north of the area.

Isfield is a small village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex in England, located north-east of Lewes.

The Oxted line is a railway in southern England and part of the Southern franchise. The railway splits into two branches towards the south and has direct trains throughout to London termini.

The East Coastway line is a railway line along the south coast of Sussex to the east of Brighton, England. Trains to the west of Brighton operate on the West Coastway line. Together with the West Coastway and the Marshlink line to the east, the line forms part of a continuous route from Havant to Ashford. The Brighton Main Line route to Eastbourne and Hastings, via Plumpton and Cooksbridge, shares the East Coastway line east of Lewes station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falmer railway station</span> Railway station in East Sussex, England

Falmer railway station is in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, south-east England, 3 miles 39 chains (5.6 km) from Brighton railway station on the East Coastway line. It is operated by Southern.

Crowborough railway station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line in England, serving the town of Crowborough, East Sussex. It is 39 miles 11 chains (63.0 km) from London Bridge.

Eridge railway station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line in southern England and serves a rural district around Eridge in East Sussex. It is 35 miles 53 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1868 onwards

Lewes is a constituency in East Sussex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Maria Caulfield, a Conservative.

Brighton & Hove is a bus company operating most bus services in the city of Brighton and Hove in southern England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.

Tunbridge Wells West is a railway station located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It is one of two railway stations in Tunbridge Wells constructed by rival companies. The other, Tunbridge Wells Central was opened in 1845 by the South Eastern Railway (SER). Tunbridge Wells West was closed to mainline passenger services in 1985. A new station on part of the site has been opened as a heritage railway line opened in 1996. It stands next to the original engine shed which has been restored to use. The line is called the Spa Valley Railway.

Moulsecoomb is a suburb of Brighton, Sussex, England, on the northeast side around the A270 Lewes Road, between Coldean and Bevendean, 2+1⁄4 miles (3.6 km) north of the seafront. The eastern edge adjoins Falmer Hill on the South Downs. It is often divided into smaller sections on maps: North Moulsecoomb, East Moulsecoomb and South Moulsecoomb.

Coldean is a suburb of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Located in the northeast corner of the urban area, it was developed by Brighton Corporation in the 1950s as one of several postwar council estates necessitated by the acute housing shortage in the area after World War II.

Public transport in Brighton and Hove, a city on the south coast of England, dates back to 1840. Brighton and Hove has a major railway station, an extensive bus service, many taxis, coach services, and it has previously had trolley buses, ferries, trams, auto rickshaws and hydrofoils.

Southdown Motors Services Ltd was a bus and coach operator in East and West Sussex and parts of Hampshire, in southern England. It was formed in 1915 and had various owners throughout its history, being purchased by the National Bus Company (NBC) in 1969. The company fleet name was lost when it was acquired by the Stagecoach Group in 1989 but buses operated under that legal name until 2015 when the operating licence was transferred to another company within the Stagecoach Group and 1915 company became dormant but still owned by the Stagecoach Group.

Groombridge railway station is a station on the Spa Valley Railway (SVR) in Groombridge, East Sussex, England. Once a busy station serving four directions, it closed in 1985 to British Rail services. A new station the other side of Station Road bridge was opened by the SVR in 1997 as part of a standard gauge heritage railway to Tunbridge Wells West.

The Wealden Line is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of 25.25 miles (40.64 km). The line takes its name from the Weald, the hilly landscape the lies between the North and South Downs.

References

↑ Kaye, David (2006). Old Buses. ISBN 978-0-7478-0650-9 . Retrieved 18 August 2011.
↑ Luke, Dylan; Steer, Jim; White, Peter. "3.0 – Case studies: single route Interurban Bus services". Interurban Bus: Time to raise the profile (PDF) (Report). Greengauge21. p. 23. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
↑ Lewes, Uckfield, Newhaven and Seaford to get Brighton night buses Worthing Herald
↑ "Regency Route Extension". Brighton & Hove Buses. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
↑ "Regency Route Map" (PDF). Brighton & Hove. Retrieved 18 September 2023.

External links

Route 28 Brighton & Hove
Route 29, 29A, 29B & 29X Brighton & Hove

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[1] Kaye, David (2006). Old Buses. ISBN 978-0-7478-0650-9 . Retrieved 18 August 2011.

[2] Luke, Dylan; Steer, Jim; White, Peter. "3.0 – Case studies: single route Interurban Bus services". Interurban Bus: Time to raise the profile (PDF) (Report). Greengauge21. p. 23. Retrieved 21 August 2023.

[3] Lewes, Uckfield, Newhaven and Seaford to get Brighton night buses Worthing Herald

[4] "Regency Route Extension". Brighton & Hove Buses. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.

[5] "Regency Route Map" (PDF). Brighton & Hove. Retrieved 18 September 2023.

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