Buses to Fiveways, Brighton: Routes 26, 46 and 52

City bus crossing Brighton’s Fiveways junction

Three Brighton & Hove Buses routes call at Fiveways every day: the 26, the 46 and the 52. From the city centre, the 52 is the simplest, because it runs from Old Steine and Brighton Station straight up London Road to the junction. The 26 comes in from Churchill Square, and the 46 links Fiveways with Hove and Portslade. Below you will find which stop to use, how to check live times, which routes people often assume go there but do not, and what to do when you arrive. We are on Ditchling Road at Fiveways ourselves, so this is the walk-in route we give our own customers.

Lost And Found Taproom

Make Fiveways your next stop

After the bus ride, find a welcoming Fiveways taproom with rotating local brews and independent beers from across the UK.

Visit the taproom

TL;DR

Routes 26, 46 and 52 serve Fiveways. From central Brighton, the 52 is the most direct.
Route 46 runs roughly every 30 minutes through Fiveways, so check the live departure before you leave.
Route 7 does not go to Fiveways. Route 79 is a weekend and public holiday service in the timetable we found, so do not rely on it on a weekday.
Use the operator’s live departures for the exact stop and time. Timetables change in autumn and winter.
Lost And Found Taproom is at 298 Ditchling Road, a short walk from the Fiveways stops.

Which buses stop at Fiveways
Getting to Fiveways from central Brighton
Checking live times before you travel
The stops themselves
Buses people ask about that do not help
What to do when you get off the bus
Coming for a party or group event
Our view: why we send people by bus
Visit us at Fiveways
FAQ
Sources

Which buses stop at Fiveways

Fiveways is the five-road junction where Ditchling Road, Hollingbury Road, Beaconsfield Road, Preston Drove and Viaduct Road meet. It is a hub for local buses rather than a terminus, so the routes pass through in both directions.

The operator’s own services page lists route 26 as Hollingbury to Churchill Square and route 46 as Southwick to Hollingbury. The route 52 page shows a Woodingdean to Patcham service with Fiveways among its stops, along with Kemp Town, Old Steine, Brighton Station, London Road Shops, Preston Circus and Hollingbury.

Here is the short version:

Route	Runs between	Useful for
26	Hollingbury and Churchill Square	Seafront side of the city centre, Old Steine
46	Southwick and Hollingbury, via Portslade, Hove and the city centre	Coming from Hove or Portslade
52	Woodingdean and Patcham, via Kemp Town, Old Steine and Brighton Station	Brighton Station and London Road

The stop listing for the southbound Fiveways stop records routes 26, 46 and 79 calling there. Southbound, route 26 heads towards Imperial Arcade, route 46 towards Southwick Square or Portslade Station, and route 79 towards Old Steine.

Getting to Fiveways from central Brighton

The easiest approach is route 52. Catch it from a central stop such as Brighton Station, the Clock Tower, North Street or Old Steine, heading towards Patcham and Hollingbury. According to the operator’s timetable, the bus continues via London Road Shops and Preston Circus, then reaches Fiveways. Get off there.

An aggregator site puts the ride from London Road Shops at about nine to eleven minutes, as shown on its Brighton Station to Fiveways page. Allow longer at rush hour, when London Road is slow.

Step by step

Open the operator’s journey planner and enter your starting stop or postcode, with Fiveways as the destination.
Pick the 52, or the 26 or 46 if the planner shows one that suits your start point better.
Note the stop letter or direction. At Fiveways the northbound and southbound stops are on opposite sides of the junction.
Check the live departure before leaving, not only the printed timetable.
Press the bell as the bus leaves Preston Circus so you are ready at Fiveways.

From Hove and Portslade

If you are starting west of the centre, route 46 is the one to look for. It runs between Southwick and Hollingbury and stops at Fiveways, according to the route 46 page, which also shows a service of roughly every 30 minutes. That is less frequent than the central London Road corridor, so a quick look at live times matters more here. If a 46 has just gone, a bus into the centre and a change to the 52 may be quicker, though it is worth checking the planner for your specific journey.

From Churchill Square and the seafront

Route 26 connects Churchill Square with Hollingbury and calls at Fiveways. It is handy if you have been shopping and want to avoid walking to Old Steine or the station. Because the listing shows it heading to Churchill Square from the Fiveways southbound stop, use the southbound side when you leave us for the town centre.

Checking live times before you travel

The operator’s site has live departure boards for each stop. Its guide to live time displays explains that you can search by location or stop to see live departures and routing, and that timetables list each stop in order. If you use Fiveways regularly, you can save the stop as a favourite on the site for quicker access.

The journey planner page also carries service updates. It names routes 23, 26, 46, 52 and Breeze 79 among current services or updates, and tells passengers to check before they travel. Do this in autumn and winter in particular. The 52 page, for example, mentions a diversion that currently stops the bus serving Brighton Marina and the Marina Cinema. That does not affect your trip to Fiveways, but it shows how routes shift.

We deliberately do not print a full timetable here. Times change with each operator update, and an out-of-date list is worse than none. Use the live board as your source of truth.

Checking live times before you travel — overview diagram

The stops themselves

The southbound Fiveways stop has a shelter, seating and lighting at night, according to its stop listing. That is useful if you are leaving us after dark. The northbound stop sits on Ditchling Road near the junction and serves buses heading up towards Hollingbury and Patcham.

Two practical notes from standing at this junction ourselves:

Fiveways is a busy crossing. Use the pedestrian crossings rather than cutting across traffic when you change sides.
If you are not sure which side you need, ask the driver or check the direction shown on the board before the bus arrives.

Buses people ask about that do not help

Searches for Brighton buses often throw up route numbers that are not much use for Fiveways.

Route 7

Route 7 runs between Hove and Brighton Marina via the city centre and the County Hospital, as shown on the route 7 page. It does not serve Fiveways, so you would need to change.

Route 23

Route 23 appears in the operator’s list of current service updates, but the page does not show that it serves Fiveways. We would not plan a trip on it without checking the planner first.

Breeze 79

The Breeze 79 timetable published from 29 September 2024 shows the route linking Brighton Station, Open Market and Oxford Street, and Fiveways on Ditchling Road. That published timetable covers Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, not a normal weekday. So on a Tuesday, plan around the 26, 46 or 52 instead, and check the current timetable if you are travelling at a weekend.

What to do when you get off the bus

From the Fiveways stops, our door at 298 Ditchling Road is a short walk along Ditchling Road. We are a craft beer taproom and bottle shop, and everything we pour on the beer and cider side comes from independent Sussex breweries. Our beer and food menus are online, so you can see what is on before you set off. Have a look at our beer menu and the on tap page, which also covers our bottle shop, wines and spirits, and street food collaborations.

If you are travelling for a visit rather than a quick pint, a few things help:

Check the live board for your last bus home before you order another round.
If you are taking bottles home, a bag that closes properly is easier on a bus than a loose carrier.
Fiveways has a good run of independent shops and cafés, so arriving early for a wander is easy. Our guide to the Fiveways community covers what we like about the area.

Coming for a party or group event

Buses are one of the reasons Fiveways works for groups. People can arrive from Hove, the station and the seafront without anyone having to drive, and the stops are close. Our venue hire gives you exclusive use of the taproom with no hire fee, and you choose your own decorations, music and drinks. Hire is tied to a minimum bar spend. Midweek and weekend hire are both available, and we publish no set price, so ask us for the details for your date.

When you tell guests how to arrive, send them the route numbers 26, 46 and 52, and ask them to check live times on the day. Our piece on why we suit a Fiveways party goes into more detail on planning a group visit.

Our view: why we send people by bus

We are a neighbourhood taproom, and most of the people who come through the door are local. Over time we have noticed that the visits people enjoy most are the ones where nobody is worrying about the drive home. A pint of Sussex beer is slower and better when you are not watching the clock for the car park.

So we tell people the same thing every time they ask. Look at the live board, take the 52 if you are coming from the centre, use the 46 if you are coming from Hove or Portslade, and allow a little extra time on a Friday evening. Fiveways is a junction that rewards a relaxed arrival. Come early, have a look around, and then settle in.

We also keep an eye on the little things that make a bus journey easier: knowing which side of the junction you need, having the stop saved, and having a sensible plan for the way back. None of it is complicated, but it makes the difference between a stressful evening and an easy one.

— Author

Visit us at Fiveways

Once you are off the bus, come in and see what is pouring. We serve rotating Sussex beers and ciders, sell bottles to take home, pour a curated list of wines, and host street food vans and our XXL hot dogs. Start with the on tap page, or ask about venue hire if you are planning a group visit.

FAQ

Which bus goes to Fiveways from Brighton Station?

Route 52 is the one to use. It runs from Brighton Station towards Patcham and Hollingbury, then continues via London Road Shops and Preston Circus to Fiveways. Check the live board at your stop for the next departure.

Does the 46 bus go to Fiveways?

Yes. Route 46 runs between Southwick and Hollingbury and stops at Fiveways. The operator’s page shows a service of roughly every 30 minutes, so look at live times before you leave.

Where does the number 7 bus go?

Route 7 runs between Hove and Brighton Marina via the city centre and the County Hospital. It does not call at Fiveways, so you would have to change onto the 26, 46 or 52.

How long does the bus to Fiveways take?

From London Road Shops, an aggregator site puts the ride at around nine to eleven minutes. From other parts of the centre it will take longer, especially in rush hour. The journey planner on the operator’s site gives the best estimate for your trip.

Can I see live bus times for Fiveways?

Yes. The Brighton & Hove Buses website has live departures for both Fiveways stops. You can search by stop or location and save the stop as a favourite.