Arriva has changed its bus timetables for Stevenage, St Albans and Welwyn Hatfield areas.

This means the 300 and 301 routes will now be split in two at St Albans, with a new service - the 302 - overlapping the two sections between Hemel Hempstead and Welwyn Garden City.

The 300, between Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City Station, and 301, between Stevenage, Lister Hospital and St Albans City Centre, will operate as normal.

Additional services will run between Stevenage and Hatfield hourly, and new later journeys will also be introduced.

The 302 is replacing the 301, between Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, continuing to and from Hatfield, before following the old 300 route to Welwyn Garden City via Birchwood and Stanborough.

A 30-minute service will also run during Sunday shopping hours to provide a service between Hatfield and St Albans.

From September 1, the services started running on the following routes:

300: Hemel Hempstead - Bennetts End - Leverstock Green - St Albans City Station (Mon-Sat only)

301: St Albans - Hatfield - QEII Hospital - Welwyn Garden City - Knebworth - Stevenage - Lister Hospital

302: Hemel Hempstead - Adeyfield - Maylands (at peak times) - Leverstock Green - St Albans City Hospital - St. Albans - Hatfield - Stanborough - Welwyn Garden City

Money-saving day, weekly and 4-weekly tickets for the Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn and Hatfield, North Herts Plus and Stevenage zones are valid for travel on services 300, 301 and 302 within the relevant zone. Orbit and All Zone tickets can also be used throughout the length of these routes.

Arriva is also encouraging parents to use its Arriva Bus app.

Craig Taylor, marketing manager for Arriva Herts and Essex, said: "Starting secondary school is a big change and the transition to using buses can sometimes be daunting for new students. We wanted to support young people in the local area by working with local schools, providing activity sheets, helpful videos, and encouraging parents to use the app for clarity.

For more information on all the changes across the area, passengers can visit: arrivabus.co.uk/300-301-302.