For 20 years, the Hospital Hopper has been helping patients, visitors and colleagues hop between Leicester’s hospitals. Thousands of journeys later, the much-loved service is still going strong.
To mark the anniversary of this important bus service, which provides a reliable link between all three hospital sites, UHL colleagues were joined by BBC Radio Leicester this week. Breakfast show host, Ady Dayman, who is the voice of the onboard announcements, chatted to commuters on the journey between Glenfield Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Ady said: “Being a Leicester lad it’s a huge privilege to be asked to be the voice of the hospital hopper informing all the amazing people connected to our NHS and hospitals.
“I’m used to waking people up in the morning on the BBC Leicester breakfast show, so it did feel slightly surreal when I heard my voice announcing the next stop on the route! A real proud moment for me personally.”
The anniversary comes as the service introduces a new timetable making it a perfect time to celebrate a bus service that is used by more than 13,000 patients, visitors and colleagues every week.
Jenny Sales, Operational Lead for Speech and Language, rides the Hopper to work. She said: “Without the Hopper I’d have to catch several different buses. Working at UHL and being able to go between sites throughout the day is so much more convenient.”
Another regular traveller, Bhupendra Mistry, Biomedical Assistant, said: “I’ve been using the Hopper since 2017, it’s a very useful service. It can be chock-a-block in the city centre sometimes, but the Hopper flies through traffic.”
Ruth Ward, Travel Wise Manager, said: “When I set up the Hospital Hopper service 20 years ago, I never imagined it would become as popular and important as it is now.
“It is a pleasure to work with the council and Centrebus to provide what is now an essential service for staff, patients and visitors to all three hospitals as well as helping the Trust meet its net zero targets.”
Before the Hopper went into service, patients had to rely on taxis and private transport to get between our hospitals. Twenty years on, it is now an essential for hundreds of thousands of journeys each year.
The service runs seven days a week, between the Beaumont Centre and Hamilton Shopping Centre, including stops at St Nicholas Circle and Leicester Railway Station, all with a fleet of fully electric buses.
The service will now extend to Ashton Green, improving access for local communities and colleagues. This has been made possible with the valued support of Leicester City Council, highlighting the importance of strong partnership-working in delivering more accessible and sustainable travel options.
David Brookes, Managing Director, Centrebus, said: “Reaching 20 years of the Hospital Hopper is a great milestone. The new timetable, developed in partnership with Leicester City Council, will make journeys easier for patients, visitors and NHS workers. It’s a great example of what can be achieved for our communities when we work closely with our partners.”
Developed in partnership with Centrebus, the timetable has been updated to enhance reliability, improve journey times, and strengthen key connections across the network.