42A bus timetable
Looking for the 42A bus? 10 different bus routes are numbered 42A across the UK and Ireland, run by 10 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.
A letter on the end usually marks a variant of the plain-numbered route — a different terminus or a peak-hour extension — and what it stands for is up to the operator. What bus route numbers mean
No 42A bus here matches “”. Search the whole site for it, or clear the box to see every 42A.
42A bus in South East England
1 route
- Bishops Stortford — Bishops Stortford to Chelmsford via Stansted Airport, Takeley First Essex · Sundays only · 07:45–20:35
42A bus in South West England
1 route
- Plymouth — Milehouse to Tamerton Foliot via Plymouth, Derriford Plymouth Citybus · 05:10–23:17 · 59 buses a weekday
42A bus in East of England
1 route
- Reepham — Reepham to Norwich via Horsford, Hellesdon Sanders Coaches · weekdays only · 07:30–15:35 · 2 buses a weekday
42A bus in North West England
3 routes
- Kendal — Kendal circular via Heron Hill, Castle Green Stagecoach Cumbria and Lancashire · not Sundays · 09:32–16:42 · 8 buses a weekday
- Manchester City Centre — East Didsbury to North Reddish via Manchester, Fallowfield Bee Network · 05:40–23:15 · 55 buses a weekday
- Warrington — Warrington to Lymm via Grappenhall, Thelwall Warrington's Own Buses · Monday to Thursday only · at 07:21 · 1 bus a weekday
42A bus in Scotland
2 routes
- Ayr — Ayr to Drongan via Holmston, Coylton Stagecoach West Scotland · Monday to Thursday only · 22:20–23:15 · 2 buses a weekday
- Motherwell — Wishaw to Coatbridge via Motherwell, Airdrie JMB Travel · 19:20–23:20 · 8 buses a weekday
42A bus in Wales
1 route
- Bangor — Bangor to Menai Bridge via Coed Mawr, Capel-y-graig O.R.Jones · not Sundays · 08:27–16:50 · 5 buses a weekday
42A bus in Northern Ireland
1 route
- Mullaghbawn — Mullaghbawn to Newry via Belleeks, Bessbrook Ulsterbus · weekdays only · at 07:55 · 1 bus a weekday
Frequently asked questions
Where does the 42A bus run?
10 buses are numbered 42A, in Warrington, Plymouth, Manchester City Centre, Ayr, Bishops Stortford, Kendal, Motherwell, Bangor, Reepham & Mullaghbawn. Each one is listed above by area, with its timetable, stops and live map.
Why are there so many different 42A 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 42A, and 10 of them do. The 42A in Warrington has no connection to the 42A in Plymouth: different operator, different road, different timetable.
How do I find the right 42A bus timetable?
Find your part of the country in the list above and open the 42A 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 42A bus the same route in every town?
No. These are 10 unrelated services that happen to share a number, run by 10 different operators. Fares, timetables and accessibility differ on each one, so always open the specific 42A for your area.
What does the “42A” in the bus number mean?
A letter on the end usually marks a variant of the plain-numbered route — a different terminus or a peak-hour extension — and what it stands for is up to the operator. It is a convention operators choose to follow rather than a national rule, so check the specific 42A for your area in the list above. See our guide to what UK bus route numbers mean for the letters that are reliable and the ones that are not.
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.