FLEXIBUS, East Sussex’s on-demand bus service, 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.
Karl Taylor, head of operations at East Sussex County Council, said: “As with any new service, we have kept Flexibus under constant review to ensure it is working as effectively as possible and offering the greatest benefit to residents.
“As part of this, we have removed the seven individual zones and passengers can now travel 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.
Mr Taylor continued: “Flexibus has proven to be hugely successful in connecting communities across East Sussex and since it was introduced last spring, the service has made over 28,000 journeys possible.
“I hope the changes we have made will make using the service even easier for passengers, and encourage more residents to use Flexibus to travel around the county.”
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