FLEXIBUS, the on-demand bus service in Conservative-led East Sussex, is now even more flexible with the introduction of one single zone.
Passengers can book Flexibus trips to any destination within a 14-mile radius of their pick-up point within the new zone, which covers 90 per cent of the county as well as some key destinations beyond the border such as transport hubs and hospitals.
Passengers can request a pick-up or drop off at any location within the zone, as long as it is safe to do so.
As the service has been developed to serve the most rural parts of the county, there are some areas where Flexibus is not available, such as coastal towns like Eastbourne and Hastings, that already have good bus coverage.
Conservative councillor Claire Dowling, Cabinet member for Transport, said that as a new service, Flexibus operations have been kept under constant review since it was introduced. "We want to ensure it is working as effectively as possible and offering the greatest benefit to residents.
“We have therefore now removed the previous seven individual zones. This means passengers are able to travel up to 14 miles in any direction from their pick-up point within the Flexibus boundary.”
Residents can visit https://flexibus.sussex.podaris.com to see where they can and can’t travel.
As Flexibus is designed to complement the bus network in East Sussex, passengers are not able to book a Flexibus journey to travel along an existing public transport route.
Where there is an existing bus or train service available, the app or booking centre will be able to give details of the services passengers can use instead.
Cllr Dowling added that: “Our Flexibus service has already been hugely successful in connecting communities across the county since it was introduced last spring. The service has made over 28,000 journeys possible and the changes should make using the service even easier for passengers as well as encouraging more residents to use Flexibus to travel around.”
Flexibus journeys can be booked up to a week in advance on the Ride Pingo app, which can be downloaded using a QR code, or by calling 01273 078203 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday).
More information about Flexibus and how it works, and the QR code for the Ride Pingo app, can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roads-transport/public/flexibus
