During Christmas and New Year 2023/24, there will be some changes to the frequency of bus, train and plane services in Bradford and Craven. In this guide, we have information on when and how often public transport will run in the festive period.
Bus services in Bradford
- Monday 18th December-Saturday 23rd December: Normal services
- Sunday 24th December (Christmas Eve): A Sunday timetable will run, with services reducing gradually from 6pm before stopping after 8pm. First will run a few core routes until 10pm
- Monday 25th December (Christmas Day): No services
- Tuesday 26th December (Boxing Day): Some special services will run from 9am-6pm
- Wednesday 27th-Saturday 30th December: Saturday services will run
- Sunday 31st December (New Year’s Eve): A Sunday timetable will run. Services will reduce from 6pm before stopping at 8pm. First will run a few core routes until 10pm
- Monday 1st January 2024 (New Year’s Day): No services
Bus services in Craven (North Yorkshire)
- The Keighley Bus Company, which runs services in Keighley, the Worth Valley, Airedale and Skipton, have information on their website here: How we’re running over Christmas in Keighley
- Information on the Dales Bus Cravenlink service, which goes between Malham and Bradford via Skipton and Keighley, is here: Cravenlink timetable and map
- Timetables for the Craven Connection services covering Settle, Ingleton, Gargrave, Bentham and Skipton areas are available here: Craven Connection timetables
Train services in Bradford and Craven
Here are links to National Rail’s websites, with specific information on what lines serving stations including Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange, Shipley, Keighley and Skipton are running this Christmas and New Year:
- Northern – mainly local services, but also serving Leeds, Huddersfield, Halifax, Carlisle, Hull, York, Manchester Victoria, Blackburn, Preston, Chester and Blackpool North
- LNER – to Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster, Peterborough and London King’s Cross
- Grand Central – to Halifax, Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster, Peterborough and London King’s Cross
- Worth Valley Railway – Timetable of services from Keighley to Oxenhope, via Haworth and Oakworth
Air services from Leeds Bradford Airport
Further information on flights to and from Leeds Bradford Airport will be on their website: https://www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk/
Information on assisted travel, including the Sunflower Lanyard scheme and support for autistic people, is here: Assisted Travel
Coach services from Bradford
In Bradford, National Express, Megabus and Flixbus will all be running festive timetables. Here are links to their websites with more information:
- National Express: Christmas Day services
- Megabus: Let us drive you this Christmas
- Flixbus: Website
Useful tips for travelling at Christmas
At this time of year, it can be hard to arrange travel, especially if visiting friends or family away from home. Here are some tips from autistic adults on how to take the stress out of seasonal travel:
- Give yourself at least two weeks before the date you want to travel to book your bus, train, plane or coach ticket if going somewhere far away from home like London
- Check weather forecasts from places like the BBC or Met Office before you travel
- Check the app or website of the bus/train/airline/coach operator to see if the service you’re using is running. Apps such as Moovit and First Bus can help with that, as can Google Maps