Sussex Travel & Transport

The transport system in the counties of East and West Sussex offers visitors a number of ways to get around from public transport such as buses and trains to using the road with car hire, coaches and ferries.

Buses
Local bus services in East and West Sussex provide services to local areas across both the counties, with a number of routes covering the cities of Brighton and Chichester and a number of other towns and villages in the area including Shoreham-by-Sea, Worthing, Burgess Hill, Horsham, East Grinstead, Newhaven, Hailsham, Eastbourne, Hastings and more.

Details of local bus services and timetables can be found at East Sussex Buses and West Sussex Buses


Trains
Trains in Sussex serve a number of routes across the county and to other areas. There are several mainline rail routes offering local and regional services. Brighton Station has services to London Victoria with a journey time of 50 minutes. There are services to London Bridge, London Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancreas International Kings Cross, with a journey time of 55 minutes to London Bridge.

There are services to local areas including Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings and further to West Worthing, Bedford, Southampton Central, Ashford International and Gatwick Airport.

Train services are provided by several train operators including First Great Western; First Capital Connect and Southern

Other railway stations in West Sussex include Chichester, Bognor Regis, Burgess Hill, Arundel, East Grinstead, Horsham, Shoreham-by-Sea and Worthing.

Other railway stations in East Sussex include Eastbourne, Uckfield, Hastings, Crowborough, Buxted and Rye .

For more information please see National Rail Enquiries


Public Transport Safety Tips
Most journeys on public transport go ahead without incident, in order to minimise the chances of any incidents, passengers may wish to consider the following safety tips:

- Be aware of your belongings at all times.
- Do not leave your bags and belongings unattended at any time.
- Stay alert and aware of your environment and those around you.
- Do not show valuables including money and jewellery in public.
- If you are carrying a bag/handbag, ensure you use a bag that has a strong good quality strap and wear it across your shoulder (not on your shoulder), with the pockets closed facing towards your waist. Carrying the bag on your shoulder makes it much easier for criminals to snatch the bag or cut the strap.
- Be careful and cautious in crowds and beware of pickpockets, do not leave anything valuable showing in public including wallets in back trouser pockets.
- Sit in carriages with other passengers do not sit in carriages with no/fewer passengers.
- Try not to use smaller/isolated stations especially at night.
- When waiting for buses, trains, boats and taxis stand with other passengers in an area that is well lit, do not stand/wait in isolated areas.


Car
There are a number of car hire firms in East & West Sussex that offer car rental services for both short and longer term car hire offering a range of vehicles from small budget cars to family cars to larger mini-buses and luxury cars.

West Sussex is connected to the road network via the M23, A23 and A24. London to Chichester by car via the M4 and M5 is a drive of approx 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes depending on traffic and time of day. Other major roads around West Sussex include the A272 and A27.

East Sussex is connected to the road network via the A27, A22 and A26. London to Brighton by car via the A23 and M23 is a drive of approx 90 minutes depending on traffic and time of day. Other major roads around East Sussex include the A259, A21 and A267.

Parking in Brighton city centre includes a number of pay and display and pay on exit car parks. Major car parks in and around the city centre include The Lanes, Trafalgar Street, Regency Square, Norton Road, Haddington Street, King Alfred, London Road and Oxford Court.

There are Park & Ride schemes in operation in Brighton at Withdean Sports Complex where drivers can park in the designated area in the outskirts of the city centre and get a bus in to the city centre. For more information please see: Brighton Park & Ride

Drivers should note there may be driving restrictions in and around the city and town centres. It is recommended visitors ensure they fully understand the local parking rules before parking and help avoid unnecessary fines and worry.


Ferry
Both East and West Sussex’s location means the counties have coastline on the southern English coast making it accessible from the south coast. There are regular services from Dieppe in France to Newhaven Port in East Sussex; services are provided by LD Transmanche Ferries with a journey time of 4 hours.

Brittany Ferries offers services from Portsmouth and to both France and Spain. Portsmouth is 50 miles from Brighton with a road and rail journey of approx 1 hour 15-30 minutes.


Coach
Sussex is accessible by coach with regular coach services available to Sussex from London Victoria coach station; the journey time from London to Brighton is 2 hours depending on the service, time of day & traffic. There are also services from London to Eastbourne, Hastings, Bognor Regis, Worthing, Chichester, Newhaven, Bexhill and Uckfield. Coach services are provided by National Express.

Whilst travelling by coach to Sussex is usually more time consuming than using rail and road, it is usually more cost effective.


Air
Gatwick Airport is located a 45 hour drive (30 miles) from Brighton via the M23 and A234. The airport has domestic and international flights.

Heathrow Airport is located 70 miles from Brighton, with a journey time of 90 minutes by car.

For more information on public transport in both East and West Sussex including information on public transport and timetables please see: East Sussex Transport and West Sussex Transport




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