Major service improvements are coming to Stagecoach bus routes in Cumbria on November 6.

These improvements, a critical part of the winter timetable for the bus company, will see Silloth, Cockermouth and Keswick get extra buses, a new service to Dalston, and upgrades on routes from Barrow to Windermere and Kendal.

Tom Waterhouse, interim managing director of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, said: “We’ve listened carefully to what customers have told us and made changes designed to improve frequencies and reliability.

“The additional early morning and evening journeys will enable more people to use the bus to get to work.”

The 554 line between Carlisle and Keswick will see an extra bus during weekdays, including an early trip for hospitality workers,.

There is also an extra bus for the 600 from Carlisle to Cockermouth, two more on Saturdays, with a later departure in both directions.

The X4/X5 has an additional early morning journey from Keswick and Cockermouth to Workington, and the evening journeys are being retimed.

More buses will be seen on the 6 route between Barrow and Windermere, with some journeys extending to Kendal, especially on Sundays when the 6 combines with the X6 via Grange, providing an hourly service between Barrow and Kendal.

The X6 will no longer stop at Furness General Hospital, although the 6 will instead.

On Sundays, the 6 and X6 will operate via Croftlands Estate between Lindal and Ulverston while the X6 will no longer serve High Newton evenings and Sundays.

For the 508 service from Penrith to Patterdale, an additional Sunday bus as well as an extra weekday evening bus to Pooley Bridge will be provided.

Departures from Penrith will also be retimed to provide better connections with trains.

The 555 will see an extra journey between Kendal and Keswick, evening services will be retimed, and a later evening journey from Keswick will be introduced.

In West Cumbria, an extra early morning bus on the 300 route between Carlisle and Workington, and an extra evening bus in the reverse direction will be operational while the 30 and 29 routes, which no longer extends to West Cumberland Hospital, will experience timetable changes for evening and Sundays.

Stagecoach will also make minor modifications to services such as the 78 from Keswick to Seatoller, the 755 from Heysham to Bowness, the 685 from Carlisle to Newcastle, and the 3 and 5 town routes in Barrow.

Customers will be spared of any increase in fare prices, with fares capped at £2 per journey under a national scheme extended till the end of 2024.

People can find comprehensive details online at the Stagecoach website.