Dorset County Council produces three area timetable books that cover the county of Dorset but do not include Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole. Information for these areas is supplied by Wilts and Dorset Buses and Yellow Buses.

Download the bus timetables:

The timetables in these guides are correct from 30 October 2011. Each book has a place index and list of services at the front as well as detailed town maps at the rear.

• Southern Area Bus Guide (pdf, 2Mb) (opens in a new window)

The Southern Dorset guide covers local bus services across the Jurassic Coast from Lyme Regis to Swanage including the urban areas of Weymouth and Dorchester.

• Northern Area Bus Guide (pdf, 1Mb) (opens in a new window)

 The Northern Dorset guide includes local bus services from Dorchester to Yeovil, Shaftesbury and Gillingham.

• Eastern Area Bus Guide (pdf, 1Mb) (opens in a new window)

The Eastern Dorset bus guide includes all local bus services from Blandford as well as the towns of Wimborne and Ferndown.

Important information and changes to services

• Please note that from 19 February 2012 the timetable for the First operated service 31 (Weymouth - Dorchester - Axminster via Bridport and Lyme Regis) will change.  To obtain the up to date timetable please visit Traveline (opens in a new window) .
• During the Canford Bottom road closures (2 February - 23 march 2012)there may be some disruption to local bus services in the area.  For further information on revised timetables please contact the Bus operators  directly or  Traveline (opens in a new window) on 0871 200 22 33.
• Please note that return tickets purchased on the Damory operated service 47 (Bridport to Yeovil via Beaminster and Crewkerne) journey during Yeovil college holidays are not currently valid for return journeys on services operated by First Hampshire & Dorset.

• The timetable for the Damory operated service 38 (Gillingham to Bournemouth via Shaftesbury and Ringwood) has not been printed in the Eastern Dorset Bus Guide.  Please see below for an updated timetable.

  Service 38 Gillingham to Bournemouth (pdf, 131kb) (opens in a new window)

• The timetable for the Wilts & Dorset operated service 52 (Poole to Sandbanks via Lilliput and Canford Cliffs) printed in the Southern Dorset Bus Guide incorrectly states that the service operates on Sundays. Please note that this service operates Mondays to Saturdays except public holidays.

• Service 6 is operated by Dorset County Council and runs between Poundbury and Dorchester South Station via Dorset County Hospital and Dorchester Town Centre.  Please see the link below for a full timetable.

Poundbury - Dorchester Service 6 bus timetable (pdf, 306kb) (opens in a new window)

Key changes to subsidised services

Services subsidised by Dorset County Council in the county may have changed from 30 October 2011. Please check the Important Changes to Public Services October 2011 (pdf, 25kb) (opens in a new window)  for more information.

Journey Planning

To plan your door-to-door journey by bus or combined bus and rail, visit Traveline (opens in a new window) .

Where to get a paper copy

The current bus and train timetables, published on 30 October 2011, are available from Tourist Information Centres, Dorset County Council libraries, some rural post offices and village shops or by post. 

Large print timetables

Copies of individual timetables can be downloaded and printed from the area bus guides on this page. Each timetable is on A4 paper and the print size is approximately double that in the guides. Alternatively contact Dorset Passenger Transport and we will send you one:

• Name: Dorset Passenger Transport
  Email: publictransport@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 225165
  Fax: 01305 225166
  Full details for Dorset Passenger Transport