Two red Routemaster buses, the leading one open-top with passengers upstairs, coming along a narrow rural road towards a bus stop where a person waits
Photo: Michael Meilton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Bus & Coach Events · 21 dated · verified weekly

Bus Running Days in the UK

Next up: Devon General Remembered at Newton Abbot — Sun 6 Sep 2026, Devon.

A running day is a proper bus service that happens once a year. Preserved buses take over a set of routes, work to a timetable printed in a booklet you pick up at the first stop, and one ticket covers the lot. Imberbus is the famous one: on a Saturday in August, Routemasters run from Warminster station across Salisbury Plain to Imber, a village cleared in 1943 and still Army land, on roads shut for most of the year. Tickets have been in the low teens and you buy them on the day.

The rest of the calendar is quieter and just as good. Winchester goes on 1 January with the King Alfred fleet back on their old town and country routes. Amersham and District fills the Chilterns with RTs and RFs in spring, out to Chesham and Great Missenden. Ensignbus at Grays runs a free day in early December, which is the cheapest day out in the hobby. The Epping Ongar Railway links Epping Underground station to its trains with vintage buses on operating days.

Practical bits: take cash, take a coat, and treat the last bus as a real last bus. Conductors wind tickets out of Gibson machines, the front seat upstairs fills first, and crews would far rather you asked questions than stood there quietly.

September 2026

October 2026

10Oct

Wightrider Weekend

Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum, Park Road, Ryde · Isle of Wight

Buses Sat 10 – Sun 11 Oct 2026

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

May 2027

Awaiting dates

TBCAug

Imberbus

Warminster railway station, Station Road, Warminster · Wiltshire

Buses

These run most years but the next date is not announced yet. We check weekly and date them the moment organisers confirm. Get the weekly email and you will not miss it.

More bus & coach events: Bus Rallies · Museum Event Days · Coach & Commercial Runs · all bus & coach events

Bus Running Days: your questions answered

How does a bus running day work?

You turn up at the main stop, buy an all-day ticket from the organisers, and take whatever comes. A leaflet gives you the routes and times. Buses run every 20 to 60 minutes depending on the route, and there is usually a running-in point where most services pass.

Do I need to book a running day?

No, almost none of them take bookings. You pay on the day and ride. The only things worth booking ahead are the coach trips and the odd special working, which have a fixed number of seats.

Do I pay for every journey?

No, one all-day ticket covers everything, which is the whole point. It is normally £5 to £15 for adults, cheaper for concessions and often free for children. Ensignbus in December has been free to everyone.

Which running day is best for a first visit?

Imberbus if you want the day people talk about, because the setting does half the work. Ensignbus in December if you want a free, well-organised introduction close to London. Amersham suits anyone who would rather ride country routes than queue.

Can I take a pushchair or wheelchair?

Pushchairs are fine folded, and crews will help you up the platform. Buses built before the 1990s have no wheelchair space, no ramp and no toilet, so check the listing: some running days now put one accessible vehicle in the mix and say so.

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