The company's routes cover a large area encompassing the whole of the city, some parts of West and East Sussex and a single route into Kent. There are 40 separately numbered standard routes. Frequencies range from every 5 minutes to two journeys per day. In addition, there are nine night bus routes and 19 school bus routes. In September 2005, the company took over many routes previously operated partly or entirely by Stagecoach South, the best example being the Coaster services 12 and 13X to Seaford and Eastbourne.
The company operates from three depots: Conway Street, Whitehawk and Lewes Road. Conway Street also serves as the company's headquarters. The company also has four outstations in Newhaven, Eastbourne, Uckfield and Durrington.
The Regency Route is one of Brighton & Hove's branded routes. It began as route 729 by the nationalised Southdown Motor Services subsidiary of the National Bus Company, of which Brighton & Hove was a part, and the route was part of the NBC's cross-country "Stagecoach" network.
Read the full text
Route 28 operates between Brighton and Eastbourne via Falmer, Lewes, Ringmer, Hailsham and Polegate. Buses operate every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays (with an extra bus each hour between Brighton and Lewes) and hourly on Sundays between Brighton and Hailsham only.
Routes 29/29B/29X operate between Brighton and Tunbridge Wells via Falmer, Lewes, Uckfield, Crowborough and Eridge (with buses on route 29B additionally serving Ringmer and Halland). Route 29 operates every 30 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays and hourly on Sundays. Route 29B operates a single return journey on weekdays only and route 29X operates a single early morning southbound journey on weekdays only.
Route 29A operates between Brighton and Heathfield via Falmer, Lewes, Isfield, Uckfield and Blackboys. Buses operate hourly on all days of the week.
These services combine to give an off-peak service of a bus every 10 minutes in each direction between Brighton and Lewes on weekdays and Saturdays, and a bus every 20 minutes in each direction on Sundays.
The Breeze routes
Three "Breeze" branded routes, with the slogan "breeze up to the Downs and beyond", currently run to beauty spots of the Sussex Downs on weekends and bank holidays:
Route Breeze 77, which runs between Brighton Pier and Devil's Dyke, with 12 journeys operating each way every 45 minutes. Buses also run daily between 18 June and 31 August and two extra journeys each way are added in the evenings from 17 June to 1 September.
Route Breeze 78, which runs between Old Steine and Stanmer Village, with 8 hourly journeys operating each way.
Route Breeze 79, which runs between Old Steine and Ditchling Beacon, with 8 hourly journeys operating each way.
In 2018, the routes had an annual ridership of under 300,000 separately. In February 2024, Brighton and Hove City Council proposed withdrawing its subsidies for routes 77 and 79. The following month, it said it had secured funding for an additional year but that the routes would have to operate on a commercial basis after that.
Express routes
There are currently three express routes on the network, operating at high frequencies and limited stops. From June 2026, these routes only accept non-cash payments to reduce dwell times.
Route 1X
In July 2024, the company launched a new limited stop bus service, 1X, which replaced route 1A. It operates between Mile Oak and Brighton Marina with an end-to-end journey time of approximately 45 minutes. Six new Enviro400MMCs (739-744) were ordered to operate on the route.
Route 3X
In September 2025, a second limited stop route was launched. Route 3X is a frequent cross-city service connecting Hangleton and Falmer, via Hove and Brighton Stations. It is operated by a purpose-built fleet of Enviro400MMCs. The route is funded through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) granted via the central government.
Route 25X
The limited stop service, 25X, was reinstated after previously ceasing operation in 2022. Route 25X is an express service operating between Old Steine and Sussex University at Falmer, via Lewes Road and University of Brighton. The service runs every 30 minutes, Monday to Friday during term time only.
Spirit of Sussex
In 2016, the company's coaching division was rebranded to Spirit of Sussex. It provides private hire and contract routes across the South East. The coaching fleet is split between depots, with the majority of vehicles stationed at their Ringmer depot which was acquired from Eastbourne Sightseeing when Brighton & Hove purchased the operation.
On 29 August 2024, Brighton & Hove announced they had purchased Lewes-based Regency Coaches, with the brand being absorbed into Spirit of Sussex, including 16 vehicles and 14 staff.
Fleet
As of 2024 the Brighton & Hove fleet consists of roughly 300 buses.
The company mainly uses Alexander Dennis Enviro400MMCs, Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TLs, Wright StreetDeck and Scania Omnidekkas. In October 2019 the company received 30 Alexander Dennis Enviro400ER hybrid electric buses for use on Route 5/5A/5B, which are geofenced to be used in electric mode within Brighton and Hove's ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone). An additional 24 buses were delivered in 2020 for use on Route 1/1A(Now 1X).
In April 2022, the bus company announced that by the end of 2022, all articulated buses ("bendy buses") in its fleet would be withdrawn. The Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses, acquired from Go-Ahead London started on Route 25 in April 2010 and were used on the 25, 25X and N25 routes from Old Steine or Portslade to the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex. The company stated the withdrawal of these buses was due to low passenger usage after the COVID-19 pandemic, high fuel usage, and a lack of spare parts for the buses. The final articulated bus was withdrawn after operating a special service on 7 November, with the buses replaced with refurbished Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodied Volvo B9TLs transferred from Go-Ahead London (201-216 which are ex-WVL 451-453, 477-480, 468, 470-476, 469).
In June 2023, the company announced it would be replacing its red and cream livery with a teal and aqua livery.
In early 2024, deliveries commenced for a new fleet of 44 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC buses, to operate the Coaster routes, as well as Route 1X.
_%27Carol_Barnes%27_on_route_5B_seen_in_Falmer_Village_in_June_2022_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}