The highly anticipated night bus service will be making a return to the city streets.

After a four-year hiatus, the University of East Anglia's (UEA) students union has announced that the popular night bus service will soon be relaunched. 

The additional bus service will run from midnight until 5am, six days a week, starting at the UEA campus, travelling along the Unthank Road, through the city centre and ending at Norwich Train Station. 

While the UEA is behind the initiative, the bus service will be open to anyone looking to travel in the early hours for work and is hoped to increase safety for people travelling through the city at night.

From left: Charlotte Melling, Nathan Wyatt and Olivia Hunt from UEA SUFrom left: Charlotte Melling, Nathan Wyatt and Olivia Hunt from UEA SU (Image: Nathan Wyatt)

The service was made possible through joint funding from the UEA Students' Union, the University, and the County Council, with each organisation contributing approximately £30,000 towards the scheme.

Nathan Wyatt, from the UEA SU, said: "The return of the night bus is a huge win for students and the local community.

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"Keeping students safe is a huge priority for us at the SU, and we believe that affordable, accessible late-night transport will be a game changer."

From left: Davey Wales, head of UEA security, Charlotte Melling, Luke Johnson and Nathan WyattFrom left: Davey Wales, head of UEA security, Charlotte Melling, Luke Johnson and Nathan Wyatt (Image: Nathan Wyatt)

The service was cut at the start of the COVID lockdowns in 2020, and was sorely missed by both the students and those living in the local community.

Charlotte Melling, transport and events manager for UEA, said: "It has been a privilege to work on a project that will benefit our community.

"UEA is committed to enhancing night-time safety both on and off campus.

"The introduction of a night bus service represents a concrete step towards this goal, and we are confident it will significantly improve the safety of our students and local residents travelling to and from the campus."

Olivia Hunt, from the UEA SU, added: "We encourage everyone to take full advantage of this initiative to ensure its success and longevity, as it operates on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis."

The first night bus will run on the evening of Monday, September 30.