M5 bus timetable
Looking for the M5 bus? 5 different bus routes are numbered M5 across the UK and Ireland, run by 5 operators in 4 areas. They are separate services that happen to share a number — pick yours below for its timetable, stops, live map and fares.
M5 bus in South East England
1 route
- Ware — Ware to Old Town Hall Arriva Herts and Essex · not Sundays · 11:20–13:30 · 2 buses a weekday
M5 bus in South West England
2 routes
- Cheltenham — Cheltenham to Hesters Way via Hatherley, Up Hatherley Marchants Coaches · weekdays only · 07:42–15:55 · 2 buses a weekday
- Gloucester — Gloucester to Whaddon via Quedgeley, Abbeydale Stagecoach West · 05:05–22:15 · 6 buses a weekday
M5 bus in Yorkshire & the Humber
1 route
- Stokesley — Stokesley to Helmsley via Northallerton, Thirsk East Yorkshire · Saturdays only · 08:39–16:33
M5 bus in North West England
1 route
- Barnoldswick — Barnoldswick to Burnley via Colne, Nelson The Burnley Bus Company · 04:26–23:30 · 77 buses a weekday
Frequently asked questions
Where does the M5 bus run?
5 buses are numbered M5, in Gloucester, Ware, Barnoldswick, Cheltenham & Stokesley. Each one is listed above by area, with its timetable, stops and live map.
Why are there so many different M5 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 M5, and 5 of them do. The M5 in Gloucester has no connection to the M5 in Ware: different operator, different road, different timetable.
How do I find the right M5 bus timetable?
Find your part of the country in the list above and open the M5 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 M5 bus the same route in every town?
No. These are 5 unrelated services that happen to share a number, run by 5 different operators. Fares, timetables and accessibility differ on each one, so always open the specific M5 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.