Catch the Bus Month’s September twist in Lincolnshire

A professional juggler, bright red hands and a toy-bus theme introduced Lincolnshire’s latest push to get more residents onto local buses. Catch the Bus Month 2026 runs across the county from 1 to 30 September, with Lincolnshire County Council using the campaign to highlight everyday services and mark 25 years of Callconnect.

Dates: 1–30 September 2026
Where: County-wide across Lincolnshire
Cost and entry: No campaign admission price or booking requirement is listed; free or discounted bus travel has not been announced
Who it is for: The general public, particularly residents considering public transport for everyday journeys

September campaign centres on everyday journeys

Catch the Bus Month is a national Bus Users UK campaign intended to raise awareness of bus travel and encourage people to reconsider how they make routine journeys. In Lincolnshire, the county council will run an online campaign throughout September promoting local services and suggesting that residents leave the car at home for some trips.

The campaign covers journeys to work, town centres, shops and visits to friends or family, as well as leisure trips. Councillor David East, the council’s executive member for highways, said buses help keep Lincolnshire connected and can remove the need to drive and find parking.

The council also links increased bus use with benefits for local communities, the economy, the environment, health and wellbeing. No individual September event schedule has been published, so participation centres on discovering and using services rather than attending a single gathering.

A toy bus brings a playful theme to Lincoln

The county campaign was launched in Lincoln city centre on 28 August under the theme “Catch a Toy Bus.” A professional juggler entertained members of the public, while residents were invited to try juggling in the campaign’s distinctive large red hands and talk about local bus services.

Lydia Horbury, chief executive of Bus Users UK, attended alongside David East and council transport network design manager Stuart Eccles. Horbury said the familiar image of a toy bus offered a way to start conversations about where real buses take people and the opportunities created by those connections.

The Lincoln launch marked the opening of the month-long campaign rather than a recurring public performance. The council’s confirmed activity for September is the county-wide online promotion of available bus services.

Callconnect turns 25 after reaching 931 communities

Catch the Bus Month coincides with the 25th anniversary of Callconnect, Lincolnshire’s demand-responsive transport service. Its first full bus entered service in 2001, initially operating around Horncastle and Spilsby.

Callconnect has since expanded to connect 931 villages and towns across Lincolnshire. The county council describes it as one of the UK’s largest and longest-standing demand-responsive bus services, reflecting the role flexible transport plays across a large rural county.

The network now combines demand-responsive journeys with seven fixed routes. It supports travel to work, education, healthcare, shops and other essential destinations, including for residents in rural communities who may have fewer conventional transport options.

An app introduced in 2023 allows passengers to plan and book journeys alongside the existing telephone booking service. East said the service gives residents greater independence by connecting them with appointments, employment and essential services.

How residents can take part during September

There is no single county-wide venue address, start time or ticketed entry point for Catch the Bus Month. The source also provides no special accessibility arrangements or dedicated transport instructions for the campaign itself.

Residents can take part by following the council’s September campaign and considering an existing bus service for an everyday journey. Local route information is available through Lincolnshire’s LincsBus information service, while Callconnect journeys can be planned and booked using its app or telephone booking service.

Source: Lincolnshire County Council