A revamp has changed the way bus services in Wymondham operate. First Bus Norwich have effectively introduced a new bus service for Wymondham in addition to the existing 13 service to Attleborough and 14 service to Wymondham Cross. The new service, numbered 15/16 (depending on whether the service is going to Blofield Heath or Lingwood), goes to the new housing developments in Silfield via Harts Farm estate and Wymondham railway station.
The service is half hourly during the day and does not serve Tuttles Lane or Hethersett estates, but instead runs straight along Norwich Road from Wymondham Cross, following the same route as the 13 route from Attleborough. This provides residents of Silfield and Harts Farm with a direct bus service to Norwich. This adds an extra two buses per hour to Norwich from Wymondham Cross operated by First Bus, meaning there are now 6 buses to Norwich per hour, alongside the hourly 6 service from Watton to Norwich. In the evenings, an hourly service via Wymondham and Hethersett operates. For weekends, a similar service to that of Monday-Friday operates on a Saturday, and there is an hourly service on Sundays.
Introduction of this new route has led to the renumbering of the existing bus routes. Previously, the 14 and the 15 ran from Wymondham Cross and went via housing estates in Wymondham and Hethersett before continuing to Norwich. Now, the service patterns from Wymondham Cross are as follows:
- 13 - direct to Norwich, every 30 mins
- 14 - via Tuttles Lane and Hethersett, every 30 mins
- 15/16 - direct to Norwich, every 30 mins
Those living in a residential area served by the 14 will not notice any difference in the frequency of their buses, as despite the 15 no longer going through the estates, the 14 now runs every 30 minutes.
The fact that the 15/16 does not serve housing estates in Wymondham and Hethersett means those living in Silfield and Harts Farm get a quicker connection to Norwich, with a typical daytime journey to St Stephens Street taking 40-45 minutes.
This is great news for those living in Silfield and Harts Farm, who finally get the bus service that other areas of Wymondham have long availed of.
