North Devon night bus hailed a success in getting festive revellers home safely

The North Devon night bus service provided over the festive period was just the ticket according to Devon & Cornwall Police. A total of 881 passengers used the service on key busy dates over the five week period during November and December, including so called ‘Factory Friday’ on 20 Dec.

The initiative is used to help tackle drink driving offences, as well as anti-social behaviour (ASB) and violence against women and girls. Traditionally during the Christmas period police nationally record more of these type of offences.

The service in north Devon was provided by Stagecoach and covered Bideford, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe, averaging 176 passengers a night.

The night bus started on Saturday 30 November and charged the minimum fare of £2 for a single ticket. The fantastic service meant that motorists could leave their vehicles at home and enjoy a night out.    

Between Barnstaple and Bideford a total of 529 people used the night bus over the five weeks (average of 106 per date of service) and the service between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe attracted a total of 352 passengers (70 per evening).   

Sergeant Dave Flynn, Alcohol Licensing Officer for Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “We know that the night time economy over the Christmas period is very busy and many people enjoy special time with family and friends. The winter north Devon night bus service was a fantastic bonus for passengers and we are pleased that so many people used it to get home safely.

“It is difficult to know how many crimes we managed to prevent but it is encouraging that people on a night out or coming home from a late shift at work in north Devon felt confident to use this convenient form of public transport.

“We would like to thank our partners including Stagecoach who made the service possible.”

The bus services were set up by Devon & Cornwall Police and funded by Devon County Council, North Devon District Council, Torridge District Council and Vision Zero South West.

The night bus service has previously been offered last summer (2024) in the north Devon area, as well as in winter 2023.

Barnstaple Sector Inspector Andy Wills added: “Myself and my dedicated Neighbourhood Police Team are delighted that people in north Devon could once again take advantage of the night bus to get home safely. Some drivers might otherwise be tempted to get behind the wheel when they have had a drink. We want to send the message loud and clear that it’s not worth taking that risk.     

“We looked at the incident data for Barnstaple over the specific dates the night bus was in operation - that evening and the day after to take account of the bus running until 4am.

“Across those dates overall incident demand in Barnstaple town centre fell by around 11% compared to the same dates in 2023. Incidents across Barnstaple Sector fell by almost ten per cent (9.9%) over the same period. This equates to 456 incidents in 2023 compared to 411 incidents in 2024.

“Incidents of anti-social behaviour fell by 16.3% (from 49 incidents in 2023 to 41 incidents in 2024) across the sector.”

The Forcewide seasonal campaign to stop drink and drug driving is called Op Limit and runs annually over the festive season, Results for this will be available in the coming weeks. Police use a variety of tactics to remove drivers from the roads if they are impaired and potentially harming themselves or others.

Police and their partners are hoping to obtain the funding required to run the night bus service again in areas such as north Devon later this year.

Barnstaple and Bideford have both received Government funding for hotspot policing in their key areas. This means extra foot patrols and engagement by police officers to tackle areas where anti-social behaviour occurs, and police officers work in conjunction with street marshals to reassure the public and bring crime levels down.

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