Introducing Chatterbus

The need for greatly improved local transport in the Cobham area was recognised by Transition Cobham, and the Chatterbus and its charitable purpose was the brainchild of Lady Acher (Joyce). Chatterbus hit the roads around Cobham in April 2015. Until then, because of poor public transport, many people in the area without their own car had severe difficulty in accessing vital services such as the JobCentre, healthcare, economical shops and other transport links, not to mention friends and social events, especially across the A3 to Weybridge where a bus service was non-existent. There wasn’t even public transport between Cobham and Stoke D’Abernon station and the town.

It came as a shock to realise not only the impact of transport poverty, but also how prevalent it was in our own town. We all take so much for granted our ability to get to where we need to go.

Now the carefully devised timetable provides a reliable service to commuters and school children at each end of the working day, but above all, to those for whom the everyday task of getting around presents such a huge challenge.

The Chatterbus Service

Many residents in Cobham and the surrounding area have access to their own transport. However, a significant minority does not and there are also many car owners who need a cheap, eco-friendly alternative for local journeys. Chatterbus has been set up to provide a reliable bus service to help everyone, young or old, to get around more easily.

The introduction of this bus service to run East-West between Cobham and Weybridge (plus Fetcham and Leatherhead on Saturdays) plugs a significant gap in the local transport system and complements existing bus services.

Chatterbus services appear as routes C1 and C3 (weekday services) and C2 (Saturday service) in Surrey County Council bus timetables and on the front of the bus.

Timetable
Fares
  • D’Abernon and Oxshott to Sainsbury’s superstore, Brooklands Retail Park and it’s superstores.
  • There is regular access to Weybridge and its important community services including the Jobcentre Plus, and its connections with other Surrey transport services.
  • Cobham & Stoke D’Abernon station is now much more accessible to people coming to and from Cobham, both commuters and off-peak travellers.
  • Chatterbus connects Stoke d’Abernon, Oxshott and Downside with Cobham and its many shops, services and Cobham Health Centre.  And of course, there are now more buses to take you to Oxshott and Stoke D’Abernon from Cobham and Weybridge.
  • School children at St. Matthew’s in Downside, St Andrew’s in Cobham and the Cobham Free Secondary School can use Chatterbus daily to get to and from school.
  • Chatterbus opens up regular access to local attractions like Painshill Landscape Garden, Downside village and Oxshott Heath. On Saturdays there are service extensions straight to Brooklands Museum, Mercedes-Benz World and Leatherhead Leisure Centre.
Fares
Timetable

Why Cobham loves its Chatterbus

Here is a video about the service we made with some interviews with our passengers – many thanks to Cobham resident Micheal Rodd for his hard work. It was made before we got our lovely new bus in 2017 so you’ll see the original bus in the video.

Support Chatterbus

We are always in need of financial support to keep Chatterbus running for Cobham, and of
volunteers to help in way they can with fundraising events.

LET’S GO!

Our Local Sponsors

Chatterbus could not run without the help of our three Founding Sponsors – Elmbridge Borough CouncilSurrey County Council and Chelsea Foundation. We are also very grateful to our fantastic Sponsors Co-op, Levanter Developments, Grosvenor Billinghurst, NFU Mutual, Pieri Developments, Specsavers, South West Railway and Waitrose.

And we owe a great debt to all the local organisations and bodies whose donations help us to run this important service – Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust, Cobham and Downside Residents Association, Cobham Chamber of Commerce, Cobham Garden Club, Saint Mary’s Church Stoke D’Abernon, Stoke D’Abernon Residents Association.