Southend names Arriva to run new 62A and 62B airport buses from 25 October

Southend-on-Sea City Council has named Arriva as operator of two new bus routes linking east Southend with London Southend Airport from 25 October 2026. In its 24 September announcement, the council said the 62A and 62B would give residents and workers another way to reach the airport and nearby employment areas. Both routes will be free to use from 25 to 31 October, but the detailed timetable and fares have yet to be published.

Where the Southend 62A and 62B buses will run

The 62A is planned to run seven days a week between Southend Travel Centre and the airport terminal. The council lists Sutton Road, North and Central Avenue, Hamstel Road, Eastern Avenue, Fossetts Retail Park, Priory Crescent and Manners Way along its route. That gives passengers a stated through connection from the Travel Centre across parts of the east of the city to the terminal, subject to the journey details in the forthcoming timetable.

The 62B will operate during weekday peak periods and add a loop serving the Stock Road area. The council identifies Temple Farm Industrial Estate as one of the employment areas the new services are intended to make easier to reach. Anyone relying on the Stock Road loop for a work journey will need to check the eventual departure times: the announcement describes the service period but gives no individual trips or journey times.

Together, the two routes are intended to provide a bus every 30 minutes on key sections of the corridor, according to the council. That is a corridor-wide statement, not a published frequency for every stop or for the peak-only Stock Road loop. The council has said it will release timetables, fares and further service details before the launch, without naming a date for that information.

Free travel during the first week

For someone travelling from east Southend to the airport, the announced 62A pattern offers a daily route to the terminal. For someone heading to the Stock Road area, the distinction matters: the 62B loop is described as a weekday peak service. The council also names Airport Retail Park and Temple Farm among the places it expects the routes to serve. Whether a particular shift or appointment can be reached conveniently will depend on the detailed timetable once it is released.

What changed since the routes were first reported

The new announcement fills two gaps in an earlier account of the proposal. Reporting on local bus forum papers on 12 September, Southend Today said the proposed 62A and 62B had no named operator or start date. The council has now supplied both: Arriva and 25 October. The timetable and fares, which were also absent from that earlier account, remain outstanding.

Southend Today reports that the existing route 62 is a Heygate Avenue circular run by Stephensons of Essex. The council's announcement of the new 62A and 62B does not say what will happen to that service. Southend Today also reports that the council has not disclosed the length of Arriva's contract or how much of its bus grant revenue allocation the two new routes will use.

Connections for St Luke's ward and the airport

Councillor Paul Collins, the council's cabinet member for finance and transport, said the routes would restore direct bus connectivity to parts of St Luke's ward that have lacked it for several years. He said Arriva had committed to providing modern route-branded buses. Those are the council's stated plans for the service; residents will be able to judge the usable connections when stop times and operating details are available.

Arriva Southern Counties commercial director Michael Jennings said the company looked forward to working with the council to deliver the services. The Southend Area Bus Users Group's live news page also lists Arriva as operator, a 25 October start and free travel from 25 to 31 October. Its route summary describes the 62A as a seven-day service and the 62B as a weekday peak service.

The announced start date is 25 October; the buses have not yet begun running. Before planning a trip around either route, passengers need the operator's published timetable and the council's promised fare details. In particular, the combined 30-minute claim does not resolve exact departure times, how the Stock Road loop fits a journey, or what a trip will cost after 31 October.