From the 27th April, the route and timetable for the Orbital service will be split to help improve reliability on the service.
The 40N (Northern Orbital) will operate between General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital
The 40S (Southern Orbital) will operate between Hamilton, Tesco and Beaumont Leys.
The service will continue to operate on an hourly basis on each service, Monday to Saturday, with significant improvement to reliability. Passengers travelling directly between Hamilton and Leicester General Hospital, and Beaumont Leys and Glenfield Hospital, will have the benefit of an increased frequency by being able to travel on either service.
Please note that the Northern (40N) and Southern (40S) Orbitals are not designed to connect in any way and through fares are not available to purchase.
The Orbital service continues to be a service which the city council supports and we are committed to transform it through increased frequency, more electric buses and bus priority. The first stage of our plan was delivered in October 2022, with the launch of new electric buses and the rebranding of the service.
We are currently trialling the split of the Orbital service, so it operates as a Northern and Southern Orbital to help improve reliability on the service, with an added benefit of an increase in frequency in some of the overlapping sections of the two services.
Our next phase, which includes an increase in frequency for the whole service, is hoped to be delivered by 2028.
Your Orbital services, serving key shopping and workplace hubs, including Leicester General Hospital, Oadby, Wigston, Fosse Park, Glenfield, Glenfield Hospital, Beaumont Leys, Rushey Mead, Hamilton and Netherhall.
Features of the service:
Fully electric buses for cleaner, healthier air quality, helping us to move towards a net zero City.
Fully branded buses in an eye-catching greenlines livery.
USB charging points so you can charge your phone and laptop whilst on the move.
On-board passenger information displays to keep you better informed and improve accessibility.
Next stop audio-visual announcements helping to make travel more accessible.
New bus shelters so you can wait for your bus in comfort.
Real-time information displays at all main bus stops and interchanges to help you plan your journey better.
Text-to-speech facilities at bus stops to make travel more accessible.
Tap on Tap off best fare capping contactless, easy to use and no fuss travel.
Fares
Single, Return, Day, 7 day and 28 day ticket available. More details can be found on the Centrebus website.
Flexi tickets and passes issued and accepted on the service.
Tap on Tap off is available, with a maximum fare cap of £6.30 for a day and £24 for a week when travelling on services in the Leicester Flexi area.
Free travel for Under 5’s
Free travel after 09:30 Monday to Friday and all day on weekends and bank holidays for English National Concessionary Travel (ENCTS Senior and Disabled) Pass Holders
Leicester City ENCTS Disabled Pass Holders can travel for free at all times.
Leicester City ENCTS Senior Pass Holders can travel for half fare before 09:30.
Contactless payment is available, if paying by cash please provide the exact fare where possible.
This service is operated by Centrebus, who can be contacted on 0116 410 50 50 or help@centrebus.co.uk.
This is part of an exciting 4 phase project to significantly transform the service.
At the end of the project the aim is to have a total of 20 new electric buses orbiting the City on a 15 minute frequency, providing increased connections and better reliability. Helping to achieve the Leicester Buses Partnership aim to bring about a transformative change in bus travel, that’s electric, frequent, reliable, easy and great value.
