Buses to and from Brest Lesquin Airport (BES)

Brest Airport is located approximately 10.2km, or 6.4 miles from the city centre of Brest, and is a French airport of medium size, with around 900,000 passengers per annum. The airport is nearby the north-western coastline of the country, and serves the department of Finistère. It used be known as the Brest-Guipavas Airport, due to its location in the community of Guipavas, but is now the Brest Bretagne Airport, and has the official code of BES. Brest buses are available for passengers, for transport to and from the airport, and generally operate several times a day. The local bus at the airport is much less expensive than a taxi, and can be a very convenient way to travel.

The airport of Brest consists of a new, single terminal building that was completed towards the end of 2007. The new building has greatly enhanced the potential of the airport, and passengers now receive service of a much higher level. There is more space for retail and dining outlets, as well as for business facilities. The airport can now also handle up to 1.8 million passengers per annum. Passengers can travel by the Brest Airport bus to nearby Brest city centre, and will find the bus stops at the old terminal building, which is about a five minutes walk from the new airport terminal. The old terminal is also nearby the P3 car parking area.

The bus that serves Brest Airport is referred to as the Bibus, and it is available approximately every two hours. The bus trip to Brest takes around twenty-five minutes, depending on the traffic conditions. Within the city, the buses stop at the tourist office, Place Albert 1er, Saint Luc and the railway station, from where trains are available to many other cities in France. Although a taxi will take passengers directly to their ‘next stop’, buses are a much cheaper way to travel, and should you be going to Brest, a very convenient way to reach the city. A one way trip on the Bibus will cost just €4.60, and a return journey is €8.40. Children aged between four and twelve will pay half price, while all little ones under the age of four will travel for free. Tickets for the journey can be purchased on the bus.

The Bibus offers transport to the airport as well, from the same locations, and at the same time frequencies. Tickets may also be purchased on these buses.

Alternatively, for the Brest Airport buses, tickets can be purchased online, at www.bibus.fr, and from this website, a variety of ticket options are available. A Day Ticket allows unlimited travel for a one calendar day after its validation, or a booklet of ten tickets can be purchased, each valid for an hour and fifteen minutes worth of travel after stamping. Group tickets can be purchased, as well as weekly and monthly coupons. The weekly coupon is valid from Monday to Sunday. Only the season passes cannot be arranged online. Within the city of Brest, there are various Relais Bibus sales points, or tickets are also available from the bibus accueil, found in the centre of Brest on Avenue Clemenceau. Special rates may be applicable to younger adult travellers.

The company Bibus started out as the CTB, or the Compagnie des Transports Brestois, back in 1897. In 1968 the company had fifteen trolleybuses still in operation as well as fifty-three buses serving the area, however, the trolleybuses were eventually retired in 1970. The CTB became the Compagnie des Transports de la Communauté de Brest, or the CTCUB in 1975, and in 1986, after an in-depth restructuring of the network, took the Bibus trade name. As of 2008, Bibus has 152 vehicles and 349 drivers. Within the same year, over 19 million passengers made use of the bus service. Bibus was also the first French urban transport network to receive the ISO 14001 certification, and has become a key player in the development of tourism and business in the city of Brest.

The buses around the town are available approximately every twelve minutes on lines 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and even more frequently on the most busy routes. They operate from 06:00 in the morning to 23:00 at night, and there are nineteen regular routes from which to choose. The buses from 20:30 to 23:00 are the night buses, and provide transport from Mondays to Fridays, and on weekends as well. On the weekend night routes, the buses stay in service until 01:00, therefore providing a convenient way to reach a restaurant, concert or cinema show. There are also special services from the railway station for arrivals in Brest on Sunday evenings, which run to various locations within the city.

Further information regarding the Brest buses is available from the information desks within the airport terminal building, or directly from the company’s website.