List of bus routes in Colchester

This is a list of bus routes in Colchester. The colours of route number refer to the colours on the operators' official route maps, timetables and map published by the council. Bus routes in Colchester are operated by Network Colchester, First Group Essex, Regal Busways, Hedingham Omnibuses, H.C. Chambers & Son, Beestons, New Horizon Travel and Cedric Coaches. See below for details of the towns routes valid.

●  Route 1 Shrub End - Greenstead
Route 1 is a major bus route in Colchester. It is operated by Network Colchester and First Group Essex. It runs every day, including evenings. Its length is 12 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is either 1 hour and 27 minutes or 2 hours 53 minutes. Route 1 has 3 termini and is a circular route.

Currently, route 1 is mostly operated by Dennis Dart Pointers and East Lancs Olympuses, of which majority running on route 1 are branded for route 1 with a pink stripe on both sides at the top, showing a summary of the route.

From 1 September 2008 to 3 January 2009, there was a competing service between Ambrose Avenue and the Town Centre, route 60, operated by First Essex.

●  Route 2 & 2C Horkesley Heath - Severalls Park
Route 2 operates Monday to Saturday, including evenings. Its length is 9.7 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 45 minutes. It is operated by Network Colchester and First Group Essex. After being surveyed by C-Bus, route 2 is considered the worst bus route in Colchester. Route 2C runs only on Sundays, as a replacement for route 2. Its length is 5.2 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 28 minutes. All 2C services are operated by First Group Essex. East Lancs bodied Volvo Citybuses, Scania OmniDekkas and Caetano Compass bodied Dennis Darts are used by Network Colchester to operate route 2. Some buses are branded with a green stripe through the middle, which contains a summary of the route in yellow writing.

●  Route 5 Hospital - Lexden
Route 5 runs Monday to Friday, mornings and early afternoons. Its length is 5.6 miles towards Lexden and 4 miles towards the Hospital. The time it takes to travel the whole route is 30 minutes (towards Lexden) or 23 minutes (towards Hospital). There is no route 5 service during the evenings and on Sundays.

●  Route 6 Grange Way - Town Centre Circular
Route 6 runs Monday to Saturday, but not evenings. Its length is 4.1 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 27 minutes. It is operated by Network Colchester.

On route 6 Caetano Compasses are mainly used, 2 of which are branded with a lilac stripe, summarizing the route.

The current route 6 first operated on 6 May 2008. Before 1981 there was a route 6 from Old Heath (current terminus) to Home Farm and was operated by Colchester Borough Transport and Eastern National (now First Essex). Between 1981 and 1993 the service was changed to a Town Centre - Rowhedge service and was later closed.

●  Routes 8, 8A, 8C and 8E Monkwick - Highwoods
Routes 8 and 8A are major bus routes in Colchester. They run Monday to Saturday, except evenings. Routes 8 and 8A run every 20 minutes each, to provide a joint service every 10 minutes during the day on Monday to Saturday. Route 8's length is 7.6 miles and route 8A's length is 6.8 miles. The time it takes to travel the whole route is 37 minutes for both routes. They are operated by Network Colchester.

Route 8C is a Sunday-only. It runs all day Sunday, including evenings. Its length is 5.9 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 26 minutes. It is operated by First Group Essex.

Route 8E runs Monday to Saturday, evenings only, every 60 minutes. Its length is 6.3 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 28 minutes. It is operated by First Group Essex.

Some of the buses used on routes 8 and 8A are branded East Lancs Lolynes. They are branded with a blue stripe, which contains a summary of the route.

●  Route 61 North Station - Wivenhoe
Route 61 is a fairly major bus route in Colchester. It runs everyday, excluding evenings Monday to Saturday and late evenings on Sundays. Its length is 7.6 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 44 minutes. Route 61 runs every 20 minutes during the day, Monday to Saturday. The first few runs of the day, Monday to Friday are numbered 61A and operate to Wivenhoe via The Avenue. During the evenings there is no route 61 service. On Sundays route 61A replace route 61. This runs via Wivenhoe Cross and The Avenue to Wivenhoe Rail Station instead of via Belle Vue Road. Route 61A runs every 60 minutes.

Route 61 is operated using Wright Axcess-Ultralows, Wright Solars and most commonly Northern Counties Palatine Volvo Olympians. Up to 2007/2008 buses were branded for the route, however branding has since been removed. Before 2 March 2008, there was no Sunday or holiday service.

●  Routes 62 & 62A North Station - Wivenhoe
Routes 62 and 62A are fairly major bus route in Colchester. Its length is 5.8 or 6.1 miles. Route 62A's length is 5.7 or 6 miles and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 32 to 38 minutes for route 62 and 27 minutes for route 62A. Route 62 runs Monday to Sunday, except evenings Monday to Saturday or late evenings on Sundays, while route 62A runs Monday to Saturday evenings only.

Most route 62 services are operated by unbranded Volvo Oylmpians or University of Essex branded Volvo Olympians.

Route 62A began operation on 7 December 2008, when Sunday services were extended to Wivenhoe Rail Station. On 11 April 2010, routes 61 and 62 swapped Wivenhoe termini and the 62A, became the bus round the loop past Wivenhoe Cemetery.

●  Route 63 Tufnell Way - St Michaels Estate
Route 63 is another fairly major and a quite new service. Its length is 5.5 or 6.0 and the time it takes to travel the whole route is 23 or 30 minutes, depending on direction. It runs Monday to Saturday, including evenings. On Sundays, there is no route 63 service.

Route 63 began operation on 15 June 2009 running from St Michaels Estate to North Station via Garrison with a 30 minute frequency. On 23 August 2010, the northern terminus was extended to Tufnell Way, its current terminus.

History
Colchester's bus system was preceded by a fairly small tram system. Over the years, it developed to become what it is today.

Pre-1904
In 1883, the first tram track was built. The original plan was to build a tram link from the North Station to the High Street, but finances ran out, when the track reached Middleborough, just 0.3 miles from the High Street. The scheme was abandoned and later bought by Colchester Corporation Transported, who removed the tracks.

Colchester Corporation Transport (1904-1986)
Although the company did not start running tram services until 1904, it did exist for a few years before then. In 1899, the British Electric Traction Company, attempted to get permission to run tram services around Colchester. The permission was not given to them, as Colchester Corporation wanted to run trams themselves.

In 1901, Colchester Corporation authorised the construction of 5¾ miles of track, but the actual building of the 3 ft 6" gauge track did not begin until 1904. A special depot was built at Magdalen Street, just south of the Town Centre, for the 16 brand-new, open-top, double-decker trams, numbered 1 to 16. The trams were manufactured by the Electric Railway and Tramway Carriage Works of Preston on Brill 21E trucks. On 28 July 1904, the trams commenced operation.

The brand new tram system consisted of three routes, all beginning at the North Station, at that time called the North Street Station: to Lexden, a suburb to the west of the Town Centre via North Station Road, North Hill, Head Street then Lexden Road and Lexden Street. Up to Lexden Road, not inclusive, the route was double-tracked, from Lexden Road onwards it was single-tracked; to the River Colne on East Street via the double-tracked section up to the High Street, then via a double-tracked section through the High Street and onto a single-tracked section through East Hill to East Street; to Hythe,to the south-west of the Town Centre, via the double-tracked sections up to East Hill, where it turned onto another double-tracked section through Queen Street and St. Botoplh's Street, where it became a single-track all the way to Hythe.

On 28 June 1906 another extension finished being built, this was from St. Botolph's Station to the Recreation Ground via Military Road. This completed the Colchester tram system.

For another 21 years, the trams continued to provide Colchester's transport system. By 1927 there was not enough funding for the refurbishment and replacement of trams. The Colchester Corporation Act of 1927, decided that motorbuses will be introduced and trams taken out of service. In October 1927, Colchester Corporation received three offers from companies who wanted to run the buses on the Corporation's behalf. These were from National Omnibus Company, which soon afterwards became Eastern National, Blackwell's and Berry's. All the offers were declined.

The first motorbus commenced operation on 21 May 1928, to replace the trams between North Station and East Street. Four Dennis G's, numbers 1 to 4, were used, with each bus seating 20 people and the entrance/exit at the front of the bus. The bodywork was made by Strachan & Brown. The buses provided two services, each running every 30 minutes, one between Parsons Heath and Shrub End; the other between Greenstead Road and the Drury Hotel. On 1 October 1928, the whole of the Lexden route was replaced by the new motorbuses. By then, five more single-deck buses arrived, this time Dennis E's each seating 32 people and with two doors and 2 open-top double-deckers, each seating 48 people. Both Dennis E's and Dennis H's bodyworks were built by Strachan & Brown.

In 1929, more buses, both single and double-deck, were delivered. These allowed more routes to be opened. In March of the same year, two routes were opened, between High Street and Bergholt Road and between High Street and Mile End. In November 1929, another two motorbus services opened. These were: between St. Botolph's Station and Old Heath and between High Street to Middlewick via Mersea Road. On the 9th December, the final service, between North Station and Recreational Ground, closed and was replaced the next day by a bus service.

In January 1933, the routes were reorganised to the following:

1: Parsons Heath to Drury Hotel

2: Ipswich Road to Shrub End

3: Lexden to North Station

4: Hythe to Mile End

5: Bergholt Road to Shrub End

6: Old Heath to North Station

7: Mersea Road to High Street

On 29 June 1933, the Colchester by-pass was opened. A new, circular bus service from High Street to Lexden was opened running along the new by-pass and then returning via Lexden Road to High Street. The service was canceled in October, due to lack of interest. The same thing happened to another circular bus service in 1937, running from High Street to High Street via Butt Road, Goojerat Road, Circular Road and Mersea Road.

For the duration of the Second World War, many services were reduced or suspended but by 1945 all routes were back to full service.

In November 1946, there was an expansion of the system. Route 1 was extended from Parsons Heath to Drury Hotel, route 3's northern terminus was changed from North Station to Ipswich Road, route 4 had every other run diverted via Mill Road, route 5 was made circular from North Station, via Shrub End, Straight Road, Lexden Road and back to North Station and the runs in the reverse direction were numbered 5A and route 7 was extended from High Street to Bergholt Road.

4 more AEC Regents, with Massey bodywork arrived in March 1947 and in December of the same year, a new route, numbered 8, was introduced. Route 8 was a circular route from Head Street, through East Hill, Greenstead Road, St Andrews Avenue and back through East Hill to Head Street. The reverse direction journeys were numbered 8A. By June 1948, route 8 was closed, again due to lack of interest.

More route changes occurred in April and May 1949. Route 1 was extended to Berechurch Camp via Layer Road and Berechurch Hall Road, route 3 was closed and route 2 extended to Dugard Avenue, including some of route 3 as a replacement, route 5 was revised to run from North Station to Borough Boundary or Dugard Avenue and some route 4 services were extended to Severalls Hospital.

A new circular service began on 27 December 1950, numbered 3 and reverse direction services 3A, from High Street via North Hill, Cowdray Avenue and back to High Street via East Hill.

In 1953, services were revised again. All route 4 journeys now travelled via Mill Road, route 5 was extended, with journeys, ending at either Bergholt Road or Severalls via Turner Road and Defoe Crescent, alternating. Route 7 was shortened to run only between High Street and Mersea Road, with alternating journeys serving the Monksea Estate.