Today is the day that buses head towards a new normal. Over the next two weeks, almost every bus company are changing their timetables to return to near “pre-pandemic” levels and re-introducing schools specials.
The cost of schools re-opening will be that some bus operators will withdraw some buses to provide a schools ‘bubble’ service for pupils and staff only. Regular customers like you and I will not be able to use them and in many cases the bus company are not providing a replacement for full-fare paying customers.
Bluestar
Bluestar started to run a near original timetable back on the 26th July. This means that when we see that they are changing timetables again, it is likely to be more minor than the changes of Stagecoach South. This does not mean that they are not making changes to facilitate schools this week.
Firstly, a non-timetable change. The double-deck buses to Hamble and Netley are ceasing.
- Bluestar 1 – Increased running times and more journeys 0700-0900 (school days only) and one journey removed in the evening peak
- Bluestar 2 – Buses leave Southampton up to 10 minutes earlier 0700 – 0830 school days and arrive up to 10 minutes later 1650 – 1740
- Bluestar 4 – Most journeys will have new times, but the general frequency remains the same
- Bluestar 5 – have minor evening changes to facilitate creating schools specials for the new academic year. The 5A Journey is withdrawn
- Bluestar 6 – returns to it’s normal pre-COVID timetable from 6th September – this is a route outsourced to morebus at Lymington
- Bluestar 8 and 9 – re-timings to match traffic with departures running earlier from Fawley and Marchwood and later on their return in the evening.
Schools Journeys to Applemore College are replaced with dedicated buses to maintain the Bubble! - Bluestar 17 – The lifeline journeys to North Lordshill will now only shuttle to and from Lordswood Centre. Connections will be available for onward journeys.
First
First Southampton are not actually advertising any changes for services this weekend.
If you use the X5 from West Quay though, be aware that the 15:00 departure may now be School Days only, although why this is the case is a bit of a mystery.
Xelabus
The green buses return to their pre-March services from this weekend.
Some of their buses will have changes though. Most of these changes mean that a bus that does not call at Barton Peveril or Eastleigh Colleges on their way into Eastleigh will now be extended to the colleges on College Days Only.
The important change though is that the X10 will no longer serve Horton Heath or Chalcroft and will run direct from Moorgreen to Denhams Corner.
Salisbury Reds
The X7 and X7R return to a Pre-pandemic timetable. Travelling further afield, all Salisbury Reds services in Salisbury and Wiltshire are back to a pre-COVID timetable.
UniLink
The students are not yet back in the dorms. Not surprisingly this means that UniLink is not quite ready to return to a normal timetable yet on all routes:
- U1 is running it’s normal timetable of Every 15 Minutes Monday to Saturday and Every 30 Minutes on Sundays
- U2 is running approximately hourly daily. There is an odd change around 1pm where buses become 5 minutes later throughout the trip. I have not worked out the logic as to why!
- U6 continues to run an amended timetable Every 20 Minutes weekdays, Every 30 Minutes Saturdays and Hourly on Sundays.
- U9 continues what appears to be a General Hospital workers service once a day in each directions
Almost Back to Normal
Even if you want a crafty night out on the socially distanced town, timetables are almost back to their normal standing. the U1N is not quite running yet, but there are still Bluestar running after midnight to get you home from the re-opened cinema in town.
If you spot something I haven’t, please leave a comment below. It would be good to know that this blog is useful to you in the interim of the SotonBus blog going quiet. I travel the same buses and trains you do and see the same drivers, so you know I want to do the best to keep you informed.