Harlow Council secures new rapid bus link to Stansted airport in major win for residents and students
Lifestyle / Mon 19th Jan 2026 at 08:39am
GETTING to and from Stansted Airport is about to get a whole lot quicker, cheaper, and easier, following the announcement of a new rapid bus service secured after sustained lobbying by Harlow Council.
Arriva has announced that from late February a new 723 service will provide a fast, direct link between Harlow and Stansted Airport, delivering a major boost for residents, students and the local economy.
The new service will run from the town centre via First Avenue and Gilden Way, linking the east of Harlow with the town centre before travelling direct via the M11 to Stansted Airport, significantly reducing journey times. With single fares capped at £3 and the usual concessions in place for over-60s and students, the new service will make travelling to the airport dramatically more affordable.
The service will operate:
Hourly Monday to Saturday
Every two hours on Sundays
First bus from Harlow at 03:20
Last bus from Stansted at 00:20
The route will be particularly beneficial for:
Residents in the east of Harlow accessing the town centre.
College students at the Harlow Airport College.
Residents who work at Stansted Airport, Harlow’s second biggest employer.
Residents travelling for a flight.
Securing this rapid bus link is a key part of Harlow Council’s mission to ‘secure our future’ by ensuring residents have better access to jobs, education and opportunity, while strengthening Harlow’s position as a well-connected town.
Commenting on the announcement, Cabinet Member for Planning and Garden Town, Councillor Alastair Gunn, said:
“This is a fantastic result for Harlow and something we have been lobbying Arriva on for a long time. The announcement of the 723 running directly from Harlow to Stansted via the M11 is a big coup for our town.
“Stansted Airport is Harlow’s second biggest employer, and this new rapid route will make it easier for residents to get to work, for students to reach the Airport College, for residents heading to the airport for a flight and for people across Harlow to travel more quickly and reliably.
“This is exactly what Building Harlow’s Future is about – securing the infrastructure we need to support jobs, education and opportunities.”
Further details on the announcement will be made available shortly.
Adam
2026-01-19 09:06:03
Who is Harlows biggest employer PAH ?
julie
2026-01-19 10:23:41
will this bus pick up/drop off burnt mill/stow?
Jasper
2026-01-19 10:34:05
Will there be cuts to the 508 509 and 510 services
James
2026-01-19 13:09:47
yes 508 is withdrawn
Jasper
2026-01-19 13:23:48
So not an extra service just a quick one along the M11. Traffic permitting of course.
Pete
2026-01-19 13:25:59
Not mentioned is that it may create a speedier route towards the East coast via Stansted.
Jim
2026-01-19 16:56:53
This is great news! Please also add a stop at/near Harlow town train station
Bob
2026-01-19 23:06:30
Should only have bus for Stansted airport workers only. Have you tried getting on the bus when you have kids storming the doors.
Han
2026-01-19 23:36:13
Don't think Harlow council thought this through. Tons of people will now dump there cars in surrounding areas just to get a cheap bus.
Richard
2026-01-20 12:56:28
Perhaps Harlow council could lobby Essex county council , and Ariiva over evening services in Harlow and integrated ticketing for existing services i work at PAH , and a monthly bus ticket on Arriva is not accepted on the evening central connect bus service , meaning you need two sets of tickets for the bus travel , making it very expensive indeed if working into the evening . In some parts of Essex integrated ticketing has been introduced , but not in Harlow .
Richard Lane
2026-01-21 01:59:25
Why give arriva anything extra when they're already doing such a terrible job at managing the existing routes in Harlow. I take on average 20 buses a week that are "managed" by the Harlow depot. And on average 6 of those simply don't turn up,and that's on the existing Stansted routes. I wish the people that make the decisions were made to use the services they're supposed to manage as a regular users. I'm sure arriva put up some nice slide shows and corporate events for the council members to attend and be made to feel special, while those of us stood in the rain waiting for buses that only exist on paper ask why our council doesn't do anything about it
Brian
2026-01-23 09:47:38
The bus service is Harlow is pretty good really,traffic permitting.The 59 service to Chelmsford is first class.And stortford is served just about every 10 minutes.A quicker service to Stansted is useful though.
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