42A bus timetable
7 different bus routes are numbered 42A across the UK and Ireland, run by 7 operators in 5 areas. They are separate services that happen to share a number — pick yours below for its timetable, stops, live map and fares.
42A bus in South East England
1 route
- 42A Bishops Stortford — Bishops Stortford, ↔ Chelmsford, Bus Stn First Essex 14 weekday journeys first 07:45 · last 20:35
42A bus in South West England
1 route
- 42A Plymouth — Royal Parade ↔ Cunningham Road Plymouth Citybus 191 weekday journeys first 05:10 · last 23:17
42A bus in North West England
2 routes
- 42A Kendal — Kendal ↔ Kendal Bus Station (Ken) Stagecoach Cumbria and Lancashire 8 weekday journeys first 09:32 · last 16:42
- 42A Manchester City Centre — Piccadilly Gardens ↔ Thornley Lane Bee Network 74 weekday journeys first 05:40 · last 23:15
42A bus in Scotland
2 routes
- 42A Ayr — Ayr Bus Station ↔ Drongan Littlemill Road Stagecoach West Scotland 2 weekday journeys first 22:20 · last 23:15
- 42A Motherwell — Motherwell Town Centre ↔ Airdrie Town Centre JMB Travel 8 weekday journeys first 19:20 · last 23:20
42A bus in Wales
1 route
- 42A Bangor — Bangor ↔ Menai Bridge O.R.Jones 7 weekday journeys first 08:27 · last 16:50
Frequently asked questions
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 7 of them do. The 42A in Plymouth has no connection to the 42A in Manchester City Centre: 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 7 unrelated services that happen to share a number, run by 7 different operators. Fares, timetables and accessibility differ on each one, so always open the specific 42A 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.