About us
First Eastern Counties operates bus services throughout Norfolk and Suffolk and is part of FirstGroup plc.
From our frequent services in and around the fine city of Norwich, to our buses to and from or all along the scenic holiday hotspots of the east coast, or our routes linking east and central Suffolk with Ipswich we run over 100 bus routes serving cities, towns around these beautiful areas. There’s some stunning scenery which is not to be missed on your travels and so much to do and see once you arrive.
If you’re looking to build sandcastles on the award-winning beaches along the coast, explore the historic city of Norwich or head into Ipswich for one of the great events on the Waterfront, you’ll find more with easier local travel.
Our Network Norwich buses could not be simpler to use; we’ve even colour coded them for you, so you can get across the city and beyond really easily. Speaking of beyond, our EXCEL bus service is a frequent, fast and quality connection between Norwich, Kings Lynn and Peterborough. The bus leaves every 30 minutes, ideal if you’re commuting, catching a train, or just exploring one of the fascinating places en route. We also run fast and frequent buses from Norwich to and from the east coast resorts of Gt Yarmouth and Lowestoft up to every 15 minutes which are great for a day out at the coast or heading into the city for some retail therapy.
Or maybe even set out from Ipswich to explore the glorious Suffolk coast & countryside at Woodbridge, Leiston or Aldeburgh. Or head south from Lowestoft to the beautiful fishing town of Southwold, home of Adnams Brewery. Wherever you’re going, you can enjoy a great day out with First Eastern Counties.
| Number of Staff | 884 |
|---|---|
| Number of Buses | 327 |
| Number of Drivers | 702 |
| Number of Routes | 116 |
| Depots | Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, King's Lynn, Ipswich |
Travel Alerts
15,16 Cucumber Lane Brundall
Cucumber Lane Closure 3rd Nov- 12th Nov
Due to Cucumber Lane being closed we will be on diversion. We are only able to serve the The street, Doctors Road and the Kings Head Pub.
The Temp stop Unfortunately wasn't possible to place on Yarmouth Road.
The shuttle bus will continue to collect Strumpshaw and Lingwood passengers till the 6th Nov
SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED
1 & 1A | Coast Road Hopton
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Service 1/1A Diversion
Due to roadworks, Services 1 and 1A are on diversion until further notice.
Towards Lowestoft, at Hopton Roundabout, buses will leave the normal route and divert via Lowestoft Road and Longfulans Lane before rejoining the normal route.
Towards Hopton, buses will operate via Corton, Waterside, Corton Long Lane and the A47 before returning to their normal route.
Please allow a little extra time for your journey while these works are in place. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Norwich, Costessey service 23A
Service 23A
29th Oct - 4th Nov
Due to Townhouse Rd/Longwater Ln being closed we will be diverting down Kabin Rd, Hill Rd then back onto Dereham Rd.
1, 8 & X1 | James Paget Hospital
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Services 1, 8 and X1 - James Paget Hospital Overnight Closure
From Wednesday 28 October to Thursday 5 November, between 20:00 and 06:00 each night, the road outside James Paget Hospital will be closed.
During the closure:
- X1 buses will divert via Links Road and Yallop Avenue in both directions.
- Service 1 buses will divert via Links Road and Yallop Avenue in both directions.
- Service 8 will be unable to serve James Paget Hospital and will start and finish at Cliff Park High School.
Please allow extra time for your journey during these overnight works.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Hedenham
Service 41A & X41
Wednesday 4th November 19.00 to Thursday 5th November 05.00
Due to the closure of B1332 in Hedenham the above service will be on diversion
Service 41A - 19.10 & 21.10 from St Stephens will be unable to serve Hedenham, Ditchingham and Bungay instead terminating at Woodton.
X41 - 20.10 & 22.10 from St Stephens will follow A146 to A143 to serve Bungay Only.
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41A last bus from from St Stephens 23.10 will serve Bungay only
This will be unable to serve Trowse Stoke Holy Cross, Poringland, Brooke, Kirstead, Woodton Hedenham & Ditchingham.
7 | Yarmouth Road
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Service 7 Diversion - Yarmouth Road Closure
Due to roadworks on Yarmouth Road, Norwich, Service 7 will be on diversion until the works are completed.
Towards Norwich Bus Station, buses will operate the normal route to Thorpe St Andrew Industrial Park, then use the roundabout after the railway bridge to turn around and join the A47 before continuing directly to Norwich Bus Station.
Towards Great Yarmouth, buses will follow the same diversion in reverse.
Please allow a little extra time for your journey during the roadworks. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
16 Lingwood
Service 16 wont be able to serve Lingwood or Strumpshaw due to road closure.
26th October - 6th November
Our Hire is running a shuttle bus to collect passengers from Lingwood/Strumpshaw to meet service 16 at Station Road, Brundall.
Our Hire shuttle bus will be using the current timetable.
The route for the shuttle bus below.

Martlesham
Services 64, 800, 66, 972 School bus
Due to the closure of Main road Martlesham the above services will divert as follows -
Outbound - Normal route.
Inbound - From Martlesham Water Bridge follow Main Road, turning left onto Felixstowe Road, then right onto Anson Road to A12 main roundabout.
Turning right to Martlesham roundabout to resume normal route.
Charcoal Line Service Improvements from 1 November 2026
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From Sunday 1 November 2026, changes will be made to Charcoal Line services, with revised Monday to Friday timetables and additional peak-time journeys helping to improve connections between Halesworth, Bungay, Poringland and Norwich.
Forthcoming Timetables
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Timetables for services changing from 1 November are now available to view
Service Information
A quick guide to all changes on your routes – new services, replacements, frequency updates, and timetable adjustments.
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Don't see your service listed? If your service isn't shown below, there are no changes to your route and you should continue travelling as normal.
| If you currently travel on Service | What's changing |
| 40/40A |
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A revised timetable will run on Monday to Friday. Additional service 40A journeys will run between Poringland and Norwich in the morning, and between Norwich and Poringland in the afternoon. The timings of some peak-time journeys to and from Halesworth and Bungay will also change. |
| 41 |
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A revised Monday to Friday timetable will operate, with changes to some peak-time journeys between Norwich, Bungay and Halesworth. |
|
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41A |
a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } Most service 41A journeys will operate as service 41. The Stoke Holy Cross section will instead be served by additional service 40A journeys. |
| X41 |
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A revised Monday to Friday timetable will operate, with changes to some peak-time journeys to improve the overall timetable. |
Queensgate, Petertborough
Excel Service
Queensgate, Peterborough
Due to the ongoing works at Queensgate buses will be serving Peterborough Bus Station before Rail Station.
Please allow extra time for your journey.