Last updated: Sunday 27 September 2026, 6.30am
Brighton bus timetable changes take effect today, Sunday 27 September, across 11 routes serving the city, the universities, local schools and destinations along the Sussex coast. The biggest differences include a more frequent winter service on the 13X, the return of university-term timetables on the 25 group, and a revised school network for Lower Bevendean, East Moulsecoomb and Patcham.
In short
- New timetables begin on Sunday 27 September 2026.
- Routes 12, 13X, 25, 25X, N25, 70, 74, 75, 77, 78 and 79 are affected.
- The 13X increases to every 20 minutes on Sundays and public holidays.
- Route 70 is replaced by a revised 75, while school-day routes 74 and 75 change.
- Passengers should check the operator’s journey planner before their first trip under the new timetable.
What changes in the Brighton bus timetable
Brighton & Hove Buses’ official service update sets out the changes route by route.
On the coastal 12, the first Sunday journey from Seaford towards Brighton starts earlier, at 8.03am from Chyngton Gardens. A short additional journey leaves Seaford Library at 7.59am for Chyngton Gardens. The operator’s full route 12 timetable covers Brighton, Peacehaven, Newhaven, Seaford, Seven Sisters and Eastbourne.
The 13X gets a stronger winter Sunday and public-holiday timetable, running every 20 minutes rather than the 30-minute frequency used in 2025. That is the clearest service improvement in the package for leisure trips between Brighton and the eastern Sussex coast.
University routes return to term-time operation. Route 25 runs every eight minutes Monday to Friday, every 10 minutes on Saturdays and every 12 minutes on Sundays and public holidays. The limited-stop 25X runs every 30 to 35 minutes on weekdays until 6.30pm. Overnight, the N25 runs every 11 to 12 minutes on Monday-to-Saturday nights and every 20 to 30 minutes on Sundays and public holidays.
The timing is deliberate: the University of Sussex says teaching begins on Monday 28 September, and the University of Brighton’s autumn term also begins on 28 September.
School routes 70, 74 and 75 are being redrawn
Route 70 is replaced by a revised route 75 linking Lower Bevendean and East Moulsecoomb. The 75 also adds an afternoon option for Brighton Aldridge Community Academy pupils travelling from Bolney Road towards Lower Bevendean.
School-day route 74 will no longer serve Lower Bevendean, which is instead covered by the 75. Between Lewes Road Garage and the University of Brighton, the 74 will run non-stop before continuing towards Patcham High School. Brighton & Hove Buses says this should shorten journeys from Queen’s Park and the southern part of Lewes Road; the trade-off is that families should recheck their nearest stop before Monday morning.
The revised 75 serves East Moulsecoomb and changes its timings between The Avenue and Patcham High School. In the afternoon it continues beyond The Avenue to Lewes Road Bus Garage. Both the 74 and 75 changes apply on school days only, and the operator has published a combined timetable and route information sheet.
Breeze routes move to winter operation
The seasonal 77, 78 and 79 services also switch to winter timetables. Route 77 has eight journeys on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Route 78 has nine weekday journeys and seven on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Route 79 has seven journeys on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
These are not cosmetic changes. The Breeze network is useful for reaching the Downs without a car, so a reduced winter pattern can materially affect walkers and families planning a day out.
Why it matters locally
This is a broad timetable reset rather than a single diversion. Students returning to Falmer face changed frequencies, school pupils in Bevendean and Moulsecoomb may use a different numbered bus, and Sunday travellers from Seaford gain an earlier start. The 13X improvement is welcome, but the school-route changes create the greatest risk of missed journeys because they alter both route numbers and stopping patterns.
What residents need to know
- Use the Brighton & Hove Buses journey planner and enter the date of travel; an old saved timetable may no longer be accurate.
- For university journeys, check whether the 25 or limited-stop 25X best fits your stop and travel time.
- For BACA or Patcham High journeys, check the revised 74/75 sheet before Monday morning rather than relying on last term’s route.
- For Breeze routes, check the exact return trip as winter services are less frequent than summer services.
- Live changes and stop suspensions are listed on the operator’s service updates page.
Brighton Locals’ view
The return of frequent university services is necessary, and increasing the 13X to every 20 minutes is a useful improvement. The more complicated part is the school network: replacing the 70 and changing where the 74 and 75 run may produce faster journeys, but only if information at stops and in journey-planning tools is accurate from day one. That is the test residents should apply, not simply whether a new timetable has been published.
What to watch next
The first school and university weekdays on 28 and 29 September will show whether capacity on the 25 group is sufficient and whether the revised 75 works for Lower Bevendean and BACA pupils. Evidence of repeated overcrowding, missed connections or incorrect stop information would justify a timetable adjustment. Brighton & Hove Buses has not announced a formal review date in its service notice.
Bottom line
Check before boarding today: Brighton’s autumn bus timetable is now live, with genuine improvements on some routes and significant school-route changes that regular passengers should not assume are the same as last term.
Image credit: Brighton & Hove route 25 bus in North Street, Brighton. Photo by Les Chatfield, licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. The photograph is illustrative of the operator and route 25; it was not taken on 27 September 2026.
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