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Crawley Fastway is a guided bus public transport service linking parts of Crawley with the nearby Gatwick Airport. The project is not yet complete, however buses are running on phase one of the scheme from Bewbush, in the South of Crawley, to Gatwick.

1 Overview

The Fastway project is a multi-phase project to improve bus services in the Crawley, Gatwick and Horley area. The project includes

• the provision of new bus lanes, including guided bus lanes
• the construction of new bus waiting shelters
• electronic real-time passenger information
• a new fleet of low-floor access buses

2 History

Phase one of the Fastway service commenced in September 2003 between Bewbush and Gatwick. The opening was attended by Tony McNulty MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport and local dignataries. The service was extended to 24 hour operation in May 2004. The service now runs every 10 minutes during the day and every 20-30 minutes in the early morning, evening and Sunday.

3 Route

The phase one service runs from Bewbush via Breezehurst Drive and Pelham Drive to Broadfield. From there the service runs via Coachmans Drive, the Broadfield Stadium and Southgate Avenue to Crawley town centre Bus Station and Broadway. Buses then proceed via High Street and London Road to Manor Royal industrial estate. Finally, the service goes via Gatwick Road and City Place business park to Gatwick airport itself.

4 Construction Works

Works on the phase one route include:

• a new bus-only short cut at Broadfield Stadium, protected by raising bollards to block other traffic
• new bus lanes along Southgate Avenue
• conversion of two town-centre roundabouts to traffic lights
• new bus lane on High Street to avoid the one-way system
• new bus lanes at the London Road/Crawley Road roundabout
• a new access from City Place to Gatwick airport

5 Promoters

The Fastway project is promoted by a Public-Private Partnership. The consortium includes West Sussex County Council, Surrey County Council, Crawley Borough Council, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, BAA Gatwick, British AirwaysFor the 1930s airline of similar name see British Airways Ltd. British Airways is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. It is also one of the largest airlines in the world, with the greatest number of flights from Europe to North America. History Bri, MetrobusMetrobus (a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group) operates local bus services in south and south-east London, and parts of Surrey, Kent, West Sussex and East Sussex. Initially, its headquarters were in Orpington and became a significant independent operator o and the Go-Ahead GroupThe Go-Ahead Group is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the liberalisation of the UK's train and bus industries. Competition The principal competitors of the Go-Ahead Group are: Stagecoach Group First Group Arriva National Expres. There is also additional support from the UK Department for Transport.

Funding is being raised both from the public and private elements of the consortium. The projected cost is £32 million, with £7.5 million from West Sussex County Council. The final cost of the scheme is still unknown.

The bus operator, Metrobus, has stated that passenger figures are up 10%, with 35% of all journeys being to and from Gatwick. One million passengers were carried in the first seven months of operation. It has also indicated that delays have been reduced due to the new bus lanes and bus gate.