Mersea Island - Tide Tables

We made changes to our network on Sunday 20th April 2025. Click here to find out more >

On occasion there will be exceptionally high tides at Mersea Island which will affect our services.

During this time the following services will be required to terminate and start at Peldon:

55A	Colchester to West Mersea	Monday to Saturday
67	Colchester to East Mersea	Thursdays ONLY
68	Highwoods to West Mersea	Monday to Saturday
68A	Colchester to West Mersea	Sundays ONLY
69/69A	Colchester to East Mersea	Tuesdays ONLY

Strong winds can affect our pre-scheduled arrivals/departures from Peldon. Some tides are predicted to be just under height; therefore any bad weather could cause a rise in tide. Please continue to check the First Bus app and our social media channels for up-to-date travel information.

April 2025

To West Mersea (departing from Angel Court, Colchester)

Date:	Day:	High Tide Peak Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:
26/04/2025	Sat	11:50 (4.99m)	10:02	11:02	12:02
27/04/2025	Sun	12:39 (5.19m)	11:45*
28/04/2025	Mon	13:25 (5.29m)	12:02	13:02
29/04/2025	Tue	14:08 (5.27m)	13:02	14:02
30/04/2025	Wed	14:49 (5.13m)	14:02	15:02

*27/04/2025 - Sunday TT - 11:45 - This journey departs from Jump Street, Colchester.

To Colchester (departing from High Street, West Mersea)

Date:	Day:	High Tide Peak Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:	Bus Time:
26/04/2025	Sat	11:50 (4.99m)	10:58	11:58	12:58
27/04/2025	Sun	12:39 (5.19m)	12:40
28/04/2025	Mon	13:25 (5.29m)	12:57	13:57
29/04/2025	Tue	14:08 (5.27m)	13:57	14:57
30/04/2025	Wed	14:49 (5.13m)	13:57	14:57	15:52

This webpage was last updated on: 23/04/2025

Service C5 | Loftin Way/Gloucester Avenue, Chelmsford | DAILY road closures

Loftin Way/Gloucester Avenue, Chelmsford is closed for daily roadworks from Monday 28th April to Tuesday 29th April 2025.

The road is to be closed from 09:30hrs each morning and is to re-open from 14:30hrs each afternoon.

Due to the location of the road closure - the C5 service will be placed on diversion:

Towards Heath Drive:

The C5 service will divert via Beehive Lane, Duffield Road and Dorset Avenue.

Towards Chelmsford City Centre:

The C5 service will start journeys at Purbeck Court bus stop (located on Dorset Avenue) before diverting via Beehive Lane, Baddow Road and Princes Road.

The following bus stops will not be served in both directions:

Loftin Way (West-bound)
Fairway
Donald Way
Gloucester Avenue Shops
Lime Walk
Heath Drive
Alder Drive
Tylers Close
Lewis Drive
Rose Glen
Gunson Gate
Lister Tye
Burghley Way

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service C4 | Ongar Road, Writtle | OVERNIGHT road closures

Ongar Road, Writtle is closed for overnight roadworks from Monday 28th April to Saturday 10th May 2025.

The road is to be closed from 20:00hrs each evening and is to re-open from 05:00hrs each morning.

Due to the location of the road closure - the C4 service will divert via Lodge Road and Margaretting Road. The bus will circumnavigate Margaretting Road Roundabout and return back along Margaretting Road. The journey will be paused at Loves Walk bus stop and will resume service at next timetabled departure.

The following bus stop(s) will not be served:

Writtle Green
Prestons Garage
Purcell Cole
Chequers Road
Lodge Road
The Ryle

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Services 2A/87 | Mile End Road, Colchester | LONG TERM road closure

Mile End Road, Colchester is closed for roadworks from Monday 14th April to Friday 4th July 2025.

Due to the location of the roadworks, the 2A and 87 services will divert in both directions via Bruff Close, Northern Approach Road and Mill Road.

A temporary bus stop(s) will be installed on Northern Approach - located near Hospital Path bus stop.

The following stops will not be served in both directions:

Groves Close (towards Great Horkesley direction only)
Rectory Close (towards Colchester City Centre direction only)
Oaks Place
Tall Trees
Mile End Church
Link Close

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service 52 | Holly Road, Colchester | DAILY road closures

Holly Road, Colchester is closed for daily roadworks from Thursday 24th April to Tuesday 29th April 2025.

The road is to be closed from 08:00hrs each morning and is to re-open from 18:00hrs each evening.

Due to the location of the road closure - Service 52 will divert via Winstree Road and Blackberry Road before returning to normal line of route.

The following bus stop(s) will not be served:

Juniper Road
Harvey Crescent
Winstree Court

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service 73/73B | Ulting Road, Nounsley | DAILY road closures

Ulting Road, Nounsley is closed for roadworks, on a daily basis, from Monday 28th April to Thursday 1st May 2025.

The road is to be closed from 08:00hrs each morning and is to re-open from 17:00hrs each afternoon.

Due to the location of the road closure - the 73/73B service will divert in both directions via Maldon Road.

The following bus stop(s) will not be served in both directions:

Cross Keys
Nounsley Corner
Jenkins Lane

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Service X30 | Sandon Hill (B1008), Ford End | OVERNIGHT road closures

Sandon Hill (B1008), Ford End is closed for overnight roadworks from Thursday 17th April to Saturday 26th April 2025.

The road is to be closed from 20:00hrs each evening and is to re-open from 05:00hrs each morning.

Due to the location of the road closure, the X30 service will divert in both directions via Braintree Road (A131) and A120.

The following bus stop(s) will not be served in both directions:

Ford End School
Black Chapel Lane
Onslow Green
Church Green

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

Services B4 & 1A | Wickford Avenue/Halstow Way, Basildon | Road closure

The junctions of Wickford Avenue and Halstow Way with Rectory Road are closed for roadworks from Saturday 5th April to Friday 16th May 2025.

Due to the location of the road closure the B4 and 1A services will be placed on diversion:

B4

Service B4 will divert in both directions via Pitsea Road and High Road. The following bus stops will not be served in both directions:

Chevers Pawen
Chalvedon School
Dover Way
Howards Park

1A

Service 1A will divert in both directions via Rectory Road. The following bus stops will not be served in both directions:

Kenneth Road
Halstow Way
Elham Drive
Throwley Close

We apologise for the disruption to your bus journey.

North Essex

We are making some changes to the Essex bus network from Sunday 20th April 2025. Many of our changes are intended to improve the punctuality of the bus services that we provide. In Colchester, we are combining some services together to provide new connections and in doing this we have made the decision to renumber some services. Scroll down to find downloadable pdf versions of the NEW timetables and the NEW network maps for Essex and Colchester.

Key details:

Service:	Journey:	What's changing?
1A	Greenstead to Shrub End	Revised timetable to improve punctuality.
16A	Barnhall to St Helena School	Service in the morning will start from Stanwell Street (Colchester Bus Station).
68 *68A*	Highwoods to West Mersea	Service 68 - the evening timetable has been revised. The Sunday 86 will be re-numbered to 68A.
87	Horkesley Heath to Brightlingsea	Revised timetable with extra afternoon peak journeys towards Brightlingsea.
88/88A/88B	Colchester to Halstead	Revised timetable – the service will run to a 2 hourly frequency during the off-peak period from Monday to Friday and throughout the day on Saturday.
102 104	Colchester to Harwich	Revised timetable to improve the punctuality of the service.
X20 320	Colchester to Stansted Airport	Revised timetable to improve the punctuality of the service.
S1 51	Highwoods to Wivenhoe	Revised timetable to improve the punctuality of the service. There will be more journeys at peak times from Monday to Friday. Service to be renumbered from S1 to 51.
S2 *52*	Highwoods to Stanway	Revised timetable to improve the punctuality of the service. Service to be renumbered from S2 to 52.
S3 *53/53A*	Colchester to West Bergholt	Revised evening timetable. The NEW 53A service will operate from West Bergholt to Old Heath, Stalin Road. Daytime services are renumbered from S3 to 53 and will now run as one service all the way through from West Bergholt to Rowhedge.
S4 *54*	Colchester to Greenstead	Revised timetable to run at an improved frequency of up to every 7 to 8 minutes, during the day, from Monday to Saturday.
S5	Colchester to Greenstead	WITHDRAWN. This service will no longer operate.
S6/S7 *56/57*	Colchester to Shrub End/St. Michaels	Revised timetable - Services to be renumbered from S6 to 56 and S7 to 57.
S8 *55*	Colchester to Monkwick	Revised timetable - Services to be renumbered from S8 to 55 and 86 to 55A. A small number of 55/55A Monday to Friday peak journeys to start/end at Colchester Hospital.
86 *55A*	Colchester to West Mersea (via Monkwick)	Service 86 is replaced by the NEW 55A service - journeys will provide an hourly service through to West Mersea.
S9 *53*	Colchester to West Bergholt	Service to be renumbered from S9 to 53. The 53 service will operate as one service from Rowhedge to West Bergholt during the day. Evening tendered journeys will terminate at North Station.
S10	Colchester to Colchester Hospital	WITHDRAWN. This service will no longer operate.

All NEW & REVISED timetables are available to view / download here →

Mid Essex

We are making some changes to the Essex bus network from Sunday 20th April 2025. Many of our changes are intended to improve the punctuality of the bus services that we provide. Additionally, we are introducing a NEW Monday to Sunday hourly route - Service 333 from Chelmsford to Heybridge via Maldon. This will provide a 30-minute frequency service from Maldon to Chelmsford from Monday to Saturday. Scroll down to find downloadable pdf versions of the NEW timetables and the NEW network maps for Essex and Maldon.

Key details:

Service	Journey	What's changing?
C1	Galleywood to Broomfield Hospital	Minor changes to the timetable.
C2	Chelmsford to Broomfield Hospital	Revised Monday to Friday timetable, to improve punctuality. Some departure times will change. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
C3	Chelmsford to North Melbourne	Revised Monday to Friday timetable, to improve punctuality. Some departure times will change. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
C7	Chelmsford to Galleywood	Revised Monday to Friday timetable, to improve punctuality. Some departure times will change. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
C8	Chelmsford to Beaulieu Park	Revised Monday to Friday timetable, to improve punctuality. Some departure times will change. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
C11	Chelmsford to Springfield	Revised Monday to Friday timetable, to improve punctuality. Some departure times will change. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
3	Chelmsford to Southend	Minor timetable changes to improve the punctuality of the 3 service.
31/331/332 *333*	Chelmsford to Burnham-on-Crouch	We are introducing a NEW Monday to Sunday hourly route *Service 333* from Chelmsford to Heybridge via Maldon, serving the Westcombe Park area of Heybridge. This will provide a 30-minute frequency service from Maldon to Chelmsford from Monday to Saturday. An hourly service to Maldon will be provided on a Sunday alongside the existing 332 service to Burnham-on-Crouch.
71/X71/371/372	Chelmsford to Colchester	The timetable will be revised to improve punctuality. On school days, a new 16.15 departure will run as service 372 between Chelmsford and Colchester.
*X70*	Colchester to Chelmsford	Additional journey on schooldays only departing at 14:20 from Colchester to Chelmsford.

All NEW & REVISED timetables are available to view / download here →

Service Changes from 20th April 2025 - South Essex

This notice was amended on 17/04/2024 | Reason for amendment: Information added regarding the NEW 3A and 26 services.

South Essex

We are making some changes to the Essex bus network from Sunday 20th April 2025. Many of our changes are intended to improve the punctuality of the bus services that we provide. In the Thurrock area, we are introducing some new connections, with significant changes to our 200 service. Service 200 will connect Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary with Basildon. Scroll down to find downloadable pdf versions of the NEW timetables and the NEW network maps for Essex and the Southend Area.

Key details:

Service	Journey	What's changing?
3	Chelmsford to Southend	Minor timetable changes to improve the punctuality of the 3 service.
9	Basildon to Brentwood	Revised Monday to Saturday timetable to improve punctuality. Departure times have been revised. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
20	Southend to Hullbridge	Revised Monday to Friday timetable to improve punctuality. Some morning journeys will depart earlier than at present. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
21/~~21A~~/21S *3A* *26*	21/21S/26 Shoeburyness/Great Wakering to Canvey Island 3A Leigh-on-Sea to Southend-on-Sea	Revised Monday to Saturday timetable. The 21 will continue to run between Great Wakering and Canvey and will operate to a new timetable, with an hourly service during the daytime. Sunday service remains unchanged. Service 21A will be renumbered as the NEW 26 service and will no longer serve Great Wakering but instead run via Ness Road, to serve Campfield Road, and East Beach in Shoeburyness. Additional short journeys will run between East Beach and Asda (via Campfield Road). The NEW 26 service will also run along London Road, between Leigh-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea, restoring connections between London Road and Leigh-on-Sea. The section of route previously provided by the 21A service (via Carlton Avenue) will now be provided by the NEW 3A service. The 3A service will operate on an hourly basis, during the day, Monday to Saturday - now routed via Blenheim Chase. Travel will be free of charge on the section of the 26 route between Bournes Green Roundabout and Shoeburyness, and for the full length of the 3A service, until the service registration process is complete. Please note. this will be revised pending the approval of our application. Service 3A is funded by UK Government through Southend-on-Sea City Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan. Service 26: all journeys, east of Bournes Green Roundabout, are funded by UK Government through Southend-on-Sea City Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.
25	Southend to Basildon	Revised Monday to Friday timetable to improve punctuality. Some morning journeys will depart earlier than at present. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
27	Southend to Canvey, Leigh Beck	Revised Monday to Friday timetable to improve punctuality, with revised departure times from Southend in the morning and afternoon, to improve co-ordination with service 28.
28	Southend to Basildon	Revised Monday to Friday timetable to improve punctuality, with revised departure times from Southend in the morning and afternoon, to improve co-ordination with service 27.
63	Rayleigh to Great Wakering	Revised timetable for punctuality, with some departure times amended. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
100	Basildon to Lakeside	Revised Monday to Friday timetable to improve punctuality. Some morning journeys will depart earlier than at present. The Sunday timetable is also revised. Customers are advised to check the new timetable prior to travel.
200/201	Basildon to Grays	Change to the routing of the 200 service. The service will continue to run between Basildon and Grays but will no longer serve Orsett and instead serve Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury and Little Thurrock, offering new connections to Basildon. The 200 service will replace Ensign's 66 service between Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury, Little Thurrock and Grays. Ensign's 88 service is extending from Stifford Clays to Orsett, to provide an hourly service from Orsett to Grays, in place of First's 200 service. Connections to Orsett from Basildon and Stanford-le-Hope will be provided by the 201, which will operate four times a day, in each direction, from Monday to Friday, subject to regulatory approval. The confirmed timetable for route 201 will be displayed soon.
300	Chelmsford to Basildon	Revised Monday to Friday timetable to improve punctuality. Some morning journeys will depart earlier than at present.
Z3/Z4	Southend/Pitsea to Tilbury	There are no changes to the timetable. However, this will operate as a closed service for Amazon staff only.