A NEW bus route will launch in the coming weeks providing extra services between central Reading and Tilehurst Triangle.

The new Buzz 18 service will start next month as a new route which will serve Reading Central, Rivermead Leisure Centre, Portman Road, Kentwood Hill and Tilehurst Triangle - replacing the Buzz 42 route.

It comes as part of the council's £26m pledge to improve bus services across the borough, funded by the Department for Transport.

Reading Borough Council lead councillor for transport John Ennis said: "The new Buzz 18 will offer a regular service to users of Rivermead Leisure Centre and provide a crucial public transport link to River Academy when it opens in September.

“It will also restore a service to Kentwood Hill and be handy for supermarket shoppers and users of Tilehurst Station.

“This new service is part of the council’s ongoing commitment to providing more sustainable ways for residents to travel around Reading, which contributes to a healthier local environment for residents.”

From Tuesday, April 2, Buzz 18 will head off from Kenavon Drive to Reading town centre and then continue towards Rivermead and the River Academy. It will then travel along Cow Lane and Portman Road where it will call at several new bus stops, including Portman Road Tesco Extra, on towards Tilehurst Station and then turn up Kentwood Hill and finish at Tilehurst Triangle.

The service will run between central Reading and Tilehurst Triangle mostly every 40 minutes all day - Monday to Saturday, and up to every 20 minutes between the town centre and Kenavon Drive - Monday to Friday as Buzz 18a.

Buses will run hourly between Kenavon Drive and Tilehurst Triangle, via the town centre and Rivermead on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Reading Buses chief executive Robert Williams said: "We are delighted to be introducing this new cross-town link that creates a number of new connections between Tilehurst, Portman Road, Rivermead and the Forbury, and expanding our fleet of sustainably sourced biomethane fuelled buses to run the service.”

The buses serving the route will be powered by compressed natural gas and branded in the green Buzz colours.

A single fare between Kenavon Drive and the town centre will cost £1.30, and £1.60 between the town centre and Rivermead. Single fares for the rest of the route will be capped at £2.

The introduction of the Buzz 18 follows the launch of the Buzz 9 to Green Park Station in January, the new hourly Sunday 650 to Green Park Village and Mereoak Park & Ride, and the 300 park and ride service between Mereoak and the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The services are part of the Reading Borough Council Bus Service Improvement Plan which aims to increase use of public transport in Reading, reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and lead to better health and wellbeing for residents.