281 bus timetable
9 different bus routes are numbered 281 across the UK and Ireland, run by 8 operators in 7 areas. They are separate services that happen to share a number — pick yours below for its timetable, stops, live map and fares.
281 bus in London
1 route
- 281 London — Hounslow Bus Station ↔ Tolworth Station London United 652 weekday journeys first 00:03 · last 23:57
281 bus in South East England
2 routes
- 281 Copthorne — Crawley Bus Station E ↔ Lingfield Station Metrobus 42 weekday journeys first 06:15 · last 19:58
- 281 Tunbridge Wells — Parsonage Close ↔ Barnetts Way Arriva Kent and Surrey 160 weekday journeys first 05:46 · last 22:30
281 bus in Yorkshire & the Humber
1 route
- 281 Batley — Holden Ing Way ↔ DBS Temp Stop 3 Arriva Yorkshire 70 weekday journeys first 05:00 · last 18:10
281 bus in North West England
1 route
- 281 Sale — Ascot Avenue ↔ Altrincham Interchange Bee Network 25 weekday journeys first 06:33 · last 18:40
281 bus in Scotland
2 routes
- 281 Thurso — Thurso Sir Georges Street Church ↔ AEA Dounreay Bus Stance Stagecoach Bluebird 2 weekday journeys first 07:24 · last 16:25
- 281 Wick — Wick Tesco ↔ Thurso Sir George's Street Church Stagecoach Bluebird 2 weekday journeys first 06:33 · last 16:44
281 bus in Wales
1 route
- 281 Carmarthen — Carmarthen ↔ Llandovery Morris Travel 8 weekday journeys first 06:05 · last 17:50
281 bus in Ireland
1 route
- 281 Kenmare — Waterville ↔ Kenmare TFI Local Link Kerry 8 weekday journeys first 06:15 · last 18:45
Frequently asked questions
Why are there so many different 281 buses?
Route numbers in the UK are chosen locally — by the operator, or by the local transport authority that tenders the service — not from any national list. Nothing stops two towns hundreds of miles apart both running a 281, and 9 of them do. The 281 in Sale has no connection to the 281 in Carmarthen: different operator, different road, different timetable.
How do I find the right 281 bus timetable?
Find your part of the country in the list above and open the 281 that starts or finishes near you — each one links to its full timetable, every stop, a live map and its fares. If you know the stop you'll be waiting at, searching for the stop name instead gives you the next departures from that exact stop, which is more reliable than any timetable.
Is the 281 bus the same route in every town?
No. These are 9 unrelated services that happen to share a number, run by 8 different operators. Fares, timetables and accessibility differ on each one, so always open the specific 281 for your area.
Looking for the next bus rather than a timetable? Stops near you shows live departures. Browse all bus routes, every operator or timetables by town. Data from operators via the DfT Bus Open Data Service — see all sources.