AS many families prepare to jet off on a well-earned summer holiday, a bus operator is gearing up to make it easier than ever to get to Stansted Airport.

Essex bus operator First Bus will launch its new X20 airport service, which links Colchester and Braintree with the airport, on Sunday.

The newly refurbished buses are equipped with luggage racks, comfortable seats, and air conditioning, to ensure a pleasant travel experience.

The route, which will run up to every hour, starts at Colchester railway station, passing through the city centre, Lexden, Stanway, and Marks Tey, before moving on to Braintree and Great Dunmow ahead of its final stop at Stansted Airport.

Gazette: Buses - the new route is in addition to the X10 and X30 services which connect other parts of Essex to Stansted AirportBuses - the new route is in addition to the X10 and X30 services which connect other parts of Essex to Stansted Airport (Image: First Essex)

The first service of each day will leave Colchester bus station, in Osborne Street, at 3.20am, arriving at the airport in under an hour and a half at 4.38am.

With the Government’s £2 single fare cap in place until the end of October, a return trip on the new service, which will run seven days a week, costs just £4.

Colchester Council leader David King welcomed the new route, and said he thinks the city’s residents will appreciate it too.

He added: “We want public transport which fits with what people need, so it’s great people will be given that choice so they can relax on their way to the airport while reducing hanging around in and around the airport.”

Buses offer a cheaper and more efficient alternative to travelling to Stansted Airport from Colchester, especially when compared to taking a train, which will see travellers from the city pay more than £50 for an off-peak single fare.

The launch of the new bus service comes after research revealed Stansted is the most expensive UK airport for a drop-off by car.

The new bus service runs in addition to the slightly quicker, albeit more expensive, National Express coach from Colchester to the airport.

It replaces the existing 370 bus route between Colchester, Coggeshall, and Braintree, although First Bus will run additional route 320 journeys between Braintree and Colchester at busy times.

The X20 route is the latest Airlink service offered by First Bus, which already transports passengers to the airport from Basildon, Wickford, and Chelmsford on the X10 and from Southend on the X30.