Customers have told Arriva what they would like and the operator has responded by introducing a range of new routes and times from Sunday, January 5, 2024.
Bus passengers said punctuality was their number one priority, so Arriva has put this front and centre of the service improvements.
And that’s not all – links to and from the city centre have been boosted all round.
Bus services will be restored to Fairfields on route X6, to better connect the area with Milton Keynes city centre, as well as a direct link to Stony Stratford, Buckingham, Winslow and Aylesbury.
The popular route 3 will extend to serve the new Manor View and Morton Park developments. This simpler route will connect the area with Kingston, Broughton, MK Coachway and the city centre up to every 20 minutes.
A simpler and more punctual timetable will launch on route 8, with better links to Snelshall West, more evening journeys and double the number of buses on Sundays, running up to every 30 minutes.
Arriva will be adding in extra buses at busy times.
The fast and direct X1 service, launched in July this year, has proven popular and will be extended to call at Bletchley Interchange and Fenny Stratford, resulting in a much quicker journey to Dunstable and Luton.
Arriva has also worked closely with Milton Keynes City Council to bring some changes to routes 33/X33 to better link the villages with Radcliffe and Stantonbury Schools, while also offering better departures for commuters.
The partnership working with the local authority has also resulted in a scheme which means routes going to similar areas in and around Milton Keynes will all call at the same stops, which will offer customers more choice and flexibility in which buses they can catch to head out of the city centre.
Arriva Midlands network manager Matt King said: “We really value our customers’ feedback and we know that buses running on time is their top priority.
“When we designed these services changes, that was our top priority too and it’s meant we’ve refined our already-high performing timetables.
“Milton Keynes is a city that is growing rapidly and we’re expanding our network to match that and we’re listening to our customers about where we need to focus our efforts to help encourage bus use on our existing network.
“Our work is not done though - we’ve plenty of ambitious plans for 2025 to continue to develop and grow our network in the city and beyond.
“The bus network’s foundations are on a solid footing to better serve our communities.”