ABOVE: On Wednesday 20 August 2025, Stagecoach East Midlands 36526 (FX12 BZD), an ADL Enviro200, meets fellow Stagecoach 11736 (YX73 OXR), an ADL Enviro400 MMC, in Gainsborough.
Lincolnshire's Last Bus
2 May 2026
Don't worry - there will still be buses in Lincolnshire! I'm talking about the Last Bus of the day...
Those who know me would agree, I'm sure, that I'm rarely to be found on Last Buses at home in London. Well past my bedtime! I can count the number of night bus rides I have undertaken in my entire life on the fingers of one hand - and two of those were actually me starting my day rather than finishing it. (Ooh - if it had been the last Night Bus of the night, would that have counted as the Last Bus?)
But I am very lucky to live in London, rather than somewhere where last buses are often well before my bedtime. And it's never been more stark than when I stayed in Lincolnshire last summer.
My regular reader knows that, when I arrive somewhere, I like to drop my bag off at the hotel and have a quick 'taster' ride - an early evening journey to get acquainted with the region. Straight out-and-back is sometimes all that's possible; a three-bus circuit is even better!
I was planning an arrival into Lincoln that would get me to the Bus Station for about 16:00. Where could I go for my taster?
The options were distinctly limited. I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. The bus I am coming into Lincoln on is also a Last Bus. If you can classify something that only runs three times a day as a such! But, if I miss the 13:20 departure from Newark on route 47, there isn't another one until the next morning.
Newark-upon-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire, 15 miles south-west of Lincoln. Trains can link the two in under 25 minutes, and apparently it can be driven in around 25-30 minutes. And yet, the only bus link between the two towns is the 47.
Provided six days a week by Centrebus at the time of my visit, but since transferred to PC Coaches, there are two departures from Lincoln, at 08:50 and 11:50, and one at around 15:00, depending on whether it's a schoolday, which only goes as far as Brant Broughton. In the reverse direction, an early run from Brant Broughton at around 07:45 is supported by two through trips from Newark at 10:15 and 13:20.
And that's it. Last bus between two major adjacent towns is at 13:20. And it takes the scenic route, meandering around Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire for an hour-and-a-half. I suspect neither local authority is interested in linking the two towns more effectively by bus. I even had a look at Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) options, but none of the operating areas are big enough. It might just be possible to book two, or maybe three connecting DRT services to cover the route, but changing from one DRT to another in the middle of nowhere is far too big a risk.
ABOVE: Route 47 passes through the village of Carlton-le-Moorland, where can be found St Mary's Church, which has a 13th Century chancel. Taken on Tuesday 19 August 2025.
The following day, I am on another "last bus", at 15:55, from Retford Bus Station to Gainsborough - Stagecoach East Midlands route 97. In this instance I believe that there are other ways of making later journeys to link the two towns, but not via the route that the 97 follows.
ABOVE: Another view of Stagecoach East Midlands 36526 (FX12 BZD, right), at Retford Bus Station, prior to its last journey of the day on route 97 to Gainsborough. On the left is Nottinghamshire County Council 0055 (RX71 TNL), a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Atlas/EVM Cityline, awaiting some "demand" that it can provide a response to. It's Wednesday 20 August 2026.
ABOVE: On route 97, West Stockwith lies at the west bank of the River Trent, three miles north-west of Gainsborough. East Stockwith, on the other side of the River, is in Lincolnshire.
The 97 gets me to Gainsborough for route 100 back to Lincoln. Route 100 is a major double-decker service, starting from Scunthorpe and running broadly hourly, but even here, the 17:10 departure from the Bus Station is the last one to Lincoln. Not much use for commuters.
ABOVE: On Wednesday 20 August 2025, the 17:10 service from Gainsborough to Lincoln - the Last Bus of the day to Lincoln on route 100 - is in the hands of Stagecoach East Midlands 11734 (YX73 OXN), when seen at Gainsborough Bus Station.
There are a few options from Lincoln for a round trip in the late afternoon - the 1 to Grantham or the 31 to Sleaford. The 56 to Skegness (if one can get on one of the inadequate single-deckers that are usually used on this route). But a three-bus circuit is strictly out of the question.
I know Lincolnshire is very rural, but the truth is - most of the buses stop early here, and I'm going to have to be careful as I plan my days out. I have already recorded three rides on Last Buses above. I'll tell you where I actually went, and how it put me on yet another Last Bus, next time.