Bus Route 26A — Riverside to Bowthorpe: Times, Stops & Fares (2026)

The 26A bus service runs from Riverside to Bowthorpe, operated by First Eastern Counties. This complete 2026 guide covers the stops in order for each direction, first and last buses, frequency, journey times, fares and answers to common questions — all worked out from the registered open timetable data.

🧭 Route 26A at a Glance

Route	26A — Riverside to Bowthorpe
Operator	First Eastern Counties
Direction	Riverside to Bowthorpe · Bowthorpe to Riverside
Stops listed	60 stops across 2 direction(s)
Typical journey	Around 47 minutes end to end (Riverside to Bowthorpe)
Runs	Daily

🚌 Route 26A: Stops from Riverside to Bowthorpe

First bus from Riverside: 08:05 · last bus 22:50 · 26 departures.

1. Morrisons, Riverside
2. Morrisons, Riverside
3. Big Yellow Storage, Norwich
4. Lower Clarence Road, Norwich
5. Busseys, Norwich
6. Sorting Office, Norwich
7. Railway Station, Norwich
8. Prince of Wales Road, Norwich
9. Red Lion Street, Norwich City Centre
10. Roman Catholic Cathedral, Norwich
11. Gladstone Street, Norwich
12. Edinburgh Road, Norwich
13. Recreation Road, Norwich
14. Hadley Drive, Norwich
15. Elizabeth Fry Road, Norwich
16. Lound Road, Norwich
17. St Annes Church, Norwich
18. The Avenues, Norwich
19. The Avenues, Norwich
20. University Drive, University of East Anglia
21. University Drive, University of East Anglia
22. Spire Norwich Hospital, Colney
23. Dodderman Way, Bowthorpe
24. Dow Close, Bowthorpe
25. Bladewater Road, Bowthorpe
26. Bishy Barnabee Way, Bowthorpe
27. Bendish Way, Bowthorpe
28. Hudson Way, Bowthorpe
29. The Crofts, Bowthorpe
30. School, Bowthorpe
31. Astley Road, Bowthorpe
32. Swafield Street, Bowthorpe
33. Wendene Shopping Centre, Bowthorpe

Some journeys on this direction run a shorter working — Norwich to Bowthorpe.

🚌 Route 26A: Stops from Bowthorpe to Riverside

First bus from Bowthorpe: 07:10 · last bus 22:35 · 28 departures.

1. Wendene Shopping Centre, Bowthorpe
2. Swafield Street, Bowthorpe
3. Astley Road, Bowthorpe
4. The Crofts, Bowthorpe
5. Hudson Way, Bowthorpe
6. Bendish Way, Bowthorpe
7. Bishy Barnebee Way, Bowthorpe
8. Bladewater Road, Bowthorpe
9. Dow Close, Bowthorpe
10. Dodderman Way, Bowthorpe
11. Spire Norwich Hospital, Colney
12. University Drive, University of East Anglia
13. University Drive, University of East Anglia
14. The Avenues, Norwich
15. The Avenues, Norwich
16. St Annes Church, Norwich
17. Lound Road, Norwich
18. Hadley Drive, Norwich
19. Fairhaven Court, Norwich
20. Recreation Road, Norwich
21. Edinburgh Road, Norwich
22. Gladstone Street, Norwich
23. Roman Catholic Cathedral, Norwich
24. Red Lion Street, Norwich City Centre
25. Prince of Wales Road, Norwich
26. Riverside Road, Norwich
27. Morrisons, Riverside

Some journeys on this direction run a shorter working — Bowthorpe to Norwich.

⏱️ Times & Frequency — Route 26A

Summary from the main timetable (Monday to Friday), aggregating every journey pattern of each direction:

Direction	First	Last	Frequency	End-to-end
Riverside to Bowthorpe	08:05	22:50	every 30 minutes	around 47 min
Bowthorpe to Riverside	07:10	22:35	every 30 minutes	around 49 min

Departures from Morrisons, Riverside (Riverside to Bowthorpe, fullest pattern): 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30

Departures from Wendene Shopping Centre, Bowthorpe (Bowthorpe to Riverside, fullest pattern): 08:50, 09:20, 09:50, 10:20, 10:50, 11:20, 11:50, 12:20, 12:50, 13:20, 13:50, 14:20, 14:50, 15:20

Day-by-day running — Riverside to Bowthorpe

Days	First	Last	Buses
Monday to Friday	08:05	22:50	26
Saturdays	09:30	22:50	23
Sundays	09:45	18:45	10

First bus times — Riverside to Bowthorpe

The first bus on the fullest pattern calls at its stops at these times (Monday to Friday):

Stop	First bus
Morrisons, Riverside	09:30
Morrisons, Riverside	09:31
Big Yellow Storage, Norwich	09:32
Lower Clarence Road, Norwich	09:33
Busseys, Norwich	09:33
Sorting Office, Norwich	09:34
Railway Station, Norwich	09:35
Prince of Wales Road, Norwich	09:36
Red Lion Street, Norwich City Centre	09:45
Roman Catholic Cathedral, Norwich	09:49
Gladstone Street, Norwich	09:51
Edinburgh Road, Norwich	09:52
Recreation Road, Norwich	09:53
Hadley Drive, Norwich	09:55
Elizabeth Fry Road, Norwich	09:56
Lound Road, Norwich	09:57
St Annes Church, Norwich	09:58
The Avenues, Norwich	10:00
The Avenues, Norwich	10:01
University Drive, University of East Anglia	10:03
University Drive, University of East Anglia	10:04
Spire Norwich Hospital, Colney	10:07
Dodderman Way, Bowthorpe	10:08
Dow Close, Bowthorpe	10:09
Bladewater Road, Bowthorpe	10:09
Bishy Barnabee Way, Bowthorpe	10:10
Bendish Way, Bowthorpe	10:11
Hudson Way, Bowthorpe	10:12
The Crofts, Bowthorpe	10:13
School, Bowthorpe	10:14
Astley Road, Bowthorpe	10:14
Swafield Street, Bowthorpe	10:16
Wendene Shopping Centre, Bowthorpe	10:17

📍 Areas Served

Within the Norwich area this service calls at stops in Norwich, Norwich City Centre, Bowthorpe, University of East Anglia, Colney, Riverside.

🔀 Interchanges on this Route

At Prince of Wales Road, Norwich you can change to 18 other services, including route 14, route 15, route 16, route 2, route 23.

At Railway Station, Norwich you can change to 16 other services, including route 14, route 15, route 16, route 2, route 25.

At Busseys, Norwich you can change to 7 other services, including route 14, route 15, route 16, route 2, route 25.

At Sorting Office, Norwich you can change to 7 other services, including route 14, route 15, route 16, route 2, route 25.

🔀 Connections & the Operator

Route 26A is operated by First Eastern Counties — see the full First Eastern Counties operator page for the rest of its Norwich-area network. More Norwich routes are listed on the Norwich bus guide, or browse the Norfolk bus hub.

🎫 Fares & Payment

• Fare cap: single fares on this service are capped at £3 under the England national fare cap — the cap falls to £2 from 1 January 2027. See BusUpdate’s fare cap guide.
• Paying: most operators in this area accept contactless bank cards and mobile payment as well as cash; smaller community operators may differ — check with First Eastern Counties for this route.
• Day tickets: if you make several journeys, ask the driver about First Eastern Counties day tickets, which can beat paying capped singles.

❓ Route 26A — FAQs

How long does the 26A take from Riverside to Bowthorpe?

Around 47 minutes end to end on the main timetable, varying with traffic, time of day and how many stops are requested.

How often does the 26A run?

Every 30 minutes on the main weekday timetable, with first bus 08:05 and last bus 22:50 from Riverside. Services on other days of the week (Monday to Friday, Saturdays, Sundays) can differ.

How much is the fare on route 26A?

Single fares are capped at £3 under the England fare cap (£2 from 1 January 2027). First Eastern Counties day tickets may be cheaper if you make several journeys.

What days does the 26A run?

Daily — calendars in the registered timetable: Monday to Friday, Saturdays, Sundays.

Sources: Timetable data from First Eastern Counties / Bus Open Data Service (BODS), 21 October 2026; stop locations from NaPTAN. Open data (OGL v3.0), independently compiled by BusUpdate — check the operator before travelling for any short-notice changes.