First Solent, operating in Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth; have announced that they are not making changes to bus services until the middle week of the Easter school holidays. This is presumably a change that has been made on the basis that the Government advice to stay local does not change until that date, but at the same time none of knows whether this is definitely going to happen.
These services are currently restricted to ones running out of the Hoeford Depot in Fareham, and most of the services affected are run under contract to Hampshire County Council or Gosport Borough council:
Changes from 11th April
The following services will return to their pre-COVID Monday to Saturday timetables:
- Service 11 between Fareham, Gosport and Alverstoke [The removed round trip between Gosport and Alverstoke has been re-instated on Saturdays].
- Service 20 will be reinstated beyond Knowle Shops to terminate at Wickham Square again.
- Service 21 between Fareham, Stubbington and Hill Head.
- Service 28 & 28A between Fareham, Segensworth and Whiteley.
Other changes to the timetable are:
- Services E1 & E2 will increase to every 16 minutes (combined every 8 minutes up and down the Bus Road) on weekdays. There will still be no changes to the weekend timetable.
- Service F1 around the Thorni Avenue loop will now run an increased, but irregular service. It largely runs every 35 minutes during the day, with the timetable suggesting it is just one bus doing the service.
- Service F2 around Maylings Farm and Nashe Way will run 5 trips, leaving Fareham Bus Station at 9am, 10am, Noon, 2pm and 4pm.
Route withdrawal?
It also looks like, based on various hints I alluded to last year, that the Hampshire County Council contract for service 10 will not be running in any form. This was a service that ran from Gosport Ferry, through Elson to Brockhurst, then via a convoluted route in Bridgemary to Fareham.
This route has been running down for a number of years though. The Elson section of the route had long been financially supported, even before First Bus when it was People’s Provincial. The Nobes Avenue section in Bridgemary enjoyed a bus every few minutes before the Henry Cort Way Bus Road opened.