Ipswich Buses has welcomed a significant investment in the town’s bus services, marking the biggest improvement to local routes since 1998.
Ipswich Buses successfully bid for the 2025/26 Local Authority Bus Service Improvement Grant, which will give Ipswich a large portion of Suffolk’s total allocation - enabling a major expansion of services operated by Ipswich Buses, which is wholly owned by Ipswich Borough Council.
The funding, awarded through Suffolk’s Bus Service Improvement Partnership, will support Ipswich Buses to deliver more frequent services, new Sunday routes, and improved reliability across the network. These enhancements are designed to build back some of the timetabled services lost during the pandemic and encourage more people to choose local, sustainable travel.
The new and improved service launched on Sunday, 31 August 2025 and Ipswich Buses passengers will benefit from:
Service Enhancements
- Route 4 – Doubled peak-time frequency, running every 30 minutes (Mon–Sat) from Ipswich Central – Broke Hall – Bixley
- Route 5 – Increased weekday frequency to every 12 minutes (Mon–Fri) from Ipswich Central – Foxhall Road – Ipswich Hospital
- Route 15 & 15A – Increased combined frequency of every 10 minutes (Mon–Sat) from Ipswich Central – Station – Maidenhall – Pinewood – Chantry
- Route 7 – Doubled frequency to every 30 minutes, with buses running all day (Mon–Sat) from Ipswich Central - Dale Hale - Henley Gate
- Route 16 –Doubled frequency to every 30 minutes (Mon–Sat) from Ipswich Central – Halifax – Stoke Park
- Route 1 – New hourly service on Sundays and Bank Holidays on the Waitrose – Greenwich – Town Centre
- Route 3E – New hourly evening service on Sundays and Bank Holidays on the Town Centre – University of Suffolk – Nacton Road – Greenwich
- Route 92 – New peak-time morning journey and service support funding on the Ipswich – Holbrook – Brantham – Manningtree route
- Route 93 – Service support funding for the Ipswich – Capel St Mary – East Bergholt – Colchester route
Sunday Services
Additional punctuality improvements have also been introduced across the network. A new off-peak service, route 17, has been introduced to maintain connections from Ipswich Central to Henley Road, Castle Hill, Stratford Court and ASDA & Anglia Retail Park (Mon-Fri).
Dan Bassett, Managing Director of Ipswich Buses, said:
“We’re pleased to have been successful in our funding bid as it provides us with a fantastic opportunity to grow our network and attract new customers, while giving our regular passengers more frequent, reliable journeys.
“With UK Government funding provided through Suffolk’s Bus Service Improvement Partnership, we can make our services more appealing, reduce reliance on cars, and give people a real alternative for their everyday travel in Ipswich.”
Councillor Phil Smart, Ipswich Borough Council’s portfolio holder for Environment and transport, said:
“We’d like to thank Dan Bassett at Ipswich Buses for preparing a strong and successful bid which demonstrated how the funding will increase ridership in our town.
“These welcome service improvements are expected to ease congestion, support the environment, and provide a better experience for passengers across and around Ipswich.”