The 66 has run peak only since 24 August: five journeys each way and a seven-hour daytime gap. Every departure time, and what Nottsbus On Demand costs instead.

Sutton Bonington now has a bus for two hours in the morning and two and a half in the afternoon, and nothing in between. Since Monday 24 August, Kinchbus has run the 66 between the village and Loughborough at peak times only, five journeys each way.

The last bus out of the village in the morning leaves St Michael’s church at 7.54am. The next one is at 3.34pm. That is a gap of seven hours and forty minutes with no scheduled bus at all.

The village sits at the far south west corner of Rushcliffe, about eight miles from West Bridgford and less than five from Loughborough. The 66 runs south into Leicestershire, so there is now no scheduled bus from Sutton Bonington towards Nottingham on any part of the day.

What the 66 actually does now

Kinchbus took the route on from CT4N. Its own service page states plainly what changed: “We will be running during peak times only, rather than the previous all day service with off peak extensions to Kegworth.”

The timetable, published by Kinchbus and in force from 24 August, runs Monday to Saturday.

Leaving Sutton Bonington, St Michael’s church, for Loughborough:

  • 7.14am
  • 7.54am
  • 3.34pm
  • 4.29pm
  • 5.29pm

Arriving at Sutton Bonington, St Michael’s church, from Loughborough:

  • 7.46am
  • 8.46am
  • 4.19pm
  • 5.09pm
  • 6.09pm

The route calls at Loughborough Swan Street and Greenclose Lane, Hathern, Zouch, Sutton Bonington church, the Agricultural College and the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington campus. (Kinchbus)

When the 66 runs at Sutton Bonington, Monday to Saturday A timeline of a weekday from 7am to 7pm showing the five 66 departures from Sutton Bonington St Michael's church at 7.14am, 7.54am, 3.34pm, 4.29pm and 5.29pm, and the five arrivals at 7.46am, 8.46am, 4.19pm, 5.09pm and 6.09pm. Between 7.54am and 3.34pm there are no departures, a gap of seven hours and forty minutes. The 66 at Sutton Bonington, Monday to Saturday Five journeys each way. Nothing scheduled through the middle of the day. no departures for 7 hours 40 minutes Out of the village Into the village 7.14 7.54 3.34 4.29 5.29 7.46 8.46 4.19 5.09 6.09 7am 9am 11am 1pm 3pm 5pm 7pm Source: Kinchbus 66 timetable, in force from 24 August 2026. Times at Sutton Bonington, St Michael's church. Graphic by West Bridgford Live
Every scheduled 66 at Sutton Bonington, in both directions, on a Monday to Saturday.

Why the service changed

CT4N ran the 66 before Kinchbus. The company’s position is on the public record at Companies House, and it is more specific than “ceased trading”.

CT4N Ltd, company number 10465180, is a private company limited by guarantee registered in 2016 for urban and suburban passenger land transport. Its creditors met to approve a corporate voluntary arrangement on 30 October 2025. That arrangement did not save it. Administration started on 26 August 2026, two days after Kinchbus picked up the 66, with Tyrone Courtman and Joe Barry appointed as administrators. The company’s registered office is now the administrators’ address in Leicester. (Companies House)

The East Midlands Combined County Authority, which now runs local bus support, says CT4N “has ceased trading and is no longer operating bus services” and that it is “working with alternative bus operators to replace services to minimise disruption for passengers”. (EMCCA)

For Sutton Bonington, EMCCA’s own wording sets out what has replaced the old service: “At other times, the West Rushcliffe Demand Responsive Transport service will continue to link Sutton Bonington to Hathern or Kegworth for onward connections.”

This is the second cut in a year. Kinchbus withdrew the Kegworth, Sutton Bonington and Loughborough leg of skylink Nottingham from 15 May, telling passengers on its own site that “these areas will be served by a Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council”. (Kinchbus)

The on-demand alternative, and what it costs

Nottsbus On Demand has no route and no timetable. You book it, and it picks you up at the nearest stop or designated point inside its zone. Sutton Bonington is in the West Rushcliffe zone (Z4), which “operates daily 7am until midnight”.

The zone covers 22 places. The ones that matter most from Sutton Bonington are:

  • Clifton NET Park and Ride, for the tram into Nottingham
  • East Midlands Parkway rail station
  • East Midlands Airport
  • East Leake, Gotham, Kingston on Soar, Ratcliffe on Soar, West Leake, Thrumpton and Zouch
  • Hathern and Normanton on Soar, over the Leicestershire border
  • The University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington campus
  • The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Pegasus Business Park, SEGRO Logistics Park and the DHL depot

Adult fares are £2.50 single, £4.40 a day, £15.40 for ten trips and £59.50 for 28 days. Under 22s pay £1.50 single and £2.80 a day. Under fives travel free, and concessionary pass holders travel free from 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays and all day at weekends and on public holidays. Journeys that cross into a second zone cost more: £4.40 single for an adult. Ten-trip and monthly passes can only be bought in the app. (Nottinghamshire County Council)

Two practical limits are worth knowing before you rely on it.

First, the bus does not come to your door. Kinchbus is explicit: “Nottsbus on Demand is unable to operate like a taxi. Instead, the clever app will identify the bus stops or designated pick-up points that are closest to your destination.”

Second, and this is the awkward one, the zone runs to midnight but the booking phone line does not. The county gives the number as 0115 804 0404 and notes it “is only available between 8:30am and 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30am to 4:30pm Friday, excluding bank holidays”. Anyone without a smartphone therefore cannot book a journey in the evening, on a Saturday or on a Sunday, on a service that advertises itself as running seven days a week until midnight.

One small thing to know if you go looking: the council’s own list of places in the zone spells Keyworth as “Keygworth”, so searching the page for the correct spelling finds nothing.

What it means for you

If you live in Sutton Bonington, Zouch or the Soar villages and you used the old all-day bus, the practical position now is this.

  • To Loughborough: the 66 works for a normal working day or a school run, and nothing else. Out at 7.14am or 7.54am, back at 4.19pm, 5.09pm or 6.09pm.
  • Midday, any direction: book Nottsbus On Demand. Allow £2.50 each way as an adult, free with a concessionary pass after 9.30am.
  • To Nottingham or West Bridgford: there is no through bus. The realistic route is Nottsbus On Demand to Clifton NET Park and Ride, then the tram. Fares and times for the tram are on our trains and trams page.
  • To London or the north: Nottsbus On Demand to East Midlands Parkway is now the most direct option from the village, and Parkway is in the zone.
  • Sundays: the 66 does not run at all. Nottsbus On Demand does, but you will need the app to book it.

If you hold a concessionary pass and no smartphone, it is worth calling 0115 804 0404 during the week to ask how weekend journeys can be booked in advance.

Sources