Essential Guide: Commuting By Public Transport

With a variety of handy tools, exclusive discounts and great services available, it’s never been easier to travel to Thorpe Park Leeds by public transport. New technology means you don’t have to wait around at bus stops, many buses and trains now have WiFi on board, cashless ticket options and more!

There are a number of frequent bus services running through and past Thorpe Park Leeds.
You can find four stops along Century Way, which runs through the centre of the business park, with additional stops at The Springs. These stops are served by the frequent Arriva 164/165 bus service, providing connections to destinations including Leeds, Cross Gates, Garforth and Kippax and more.

A range of additional frequent services are also available, stopping to the south of the site on Selby Road, where shelters with real time information are available.

If you’re travelling from further afield, there are three train stations close to Thorpe Park: Cross Gates, Garforth and East Garforth. All are just a short bus journey or bike ride away from the park and provide frequent and quick connections to a wide range of local, regional and national destinations.

There aren’t any confirmed timescales for the project but plans are in place to create a new train station at Thorpe Park Leeds, to the north of The Springs. The station would sit on the line currently connecting Cross Gates and Garforth, making travel by train an extremely inviting option for employees and visitors to the park.

Planning your Journey

There are now a number of great options available for those looking to plan a journey by public transport. There’s no need to spend loads of time flicking through timetables to figure out which services work best for you – online journey planners can do that for you!

Our guide to planning a journey by public transport has everything you need to know, including links to some of the great online tools available, along with timetables for the key services at Thorpe Park (for those that need it) and network maps.

Paying for your Journey

Catching the bus or train no longer has to mean fumbling around for change before hopping on to pay the driver or conductor in a rush! There are so many different ways to pay for your journey that you may feel a little spoilt for choice!

First and Arriva accepts contactless payments on all of their services and don’t forget there are some really useful apps which allow you to buy and store your bus ticket on your mobile!

It’s also important to check that you aren’t paying too much. Whilst paying for single or return tickets is OK for regular or one off journeys, those who travel more frequently by bus and/or rail can save some significant cash by choosing flexi, monthly or annual passes, and by taking advantage of the various additional discounts available. You can find out more about First Bus ticket prices here.

For further advice on choosing the right ticket for your public transport journey check out our Tickets & Discounts guide.

Real Time Information & Apps

Gone are the days of standing around waiting for your bus or train with little idea when it will turn up. Real time information makes it easy to find out exactly where your ride is at, helping you plan when to leave the house, office or coffee shop.

Bus operator apps have proved to offer a real step change when it comes to real time bus information. They display the exact location of your bus on a handy map, in a very similar style to the Uber app which many are now familiar with. If you are undertaking a journey by bus we’d advise that trying out an app is a must, and to help you out we’ve pulled together a handy guide to getting most from bus operator apps.

Bus apps aren’t the only real time information tool, however.

Metro have a great service called ‘yournextbus‘, which uses GPS satellite technology to track the location of buses in West and South Yorkshire. This means you can find out the scheduled or real-time for any bus, at any stop.

Watch the video below to find out more.

Support & Updates

Confused by timetables or just not sure which bus is best to catch? Did you know we can plan your journey for you?
Just let us know where you’re coming from and when and we will provide you with an interactive journey plan that clearly sets out your options, with easy to follow, step by step instructions and a handy map.

Get in touch now to receive support with your commute.

We’ve also put together a list of helpful Twitter feeds that will keep you up to date with any delays or service changes across the Leeds area:

First West Yorkshire (@FirstWestYorks)
Arriva Yorkshire (@arrivayorkshire)
West Yorkshire Metro (@MetroTravelNews)

Northern Rail (@northernassist)
Network Rail (@networkrail)

Leeds Council News (@LeedsCC_News)
Connecting Leeds (@ConnectingLeeds

First, Arriva and Northern Rail have web pages devoted to giving service updates and information on any planned disruptions, view them here:

Download the Guide

We’ve created a guide to travelling to and from Thorpe Park Leeds that is available for you to download below.


If you’re a business based at the site and would like printed copies of the guide for your employees, please get in touch.