New Summer Services for Southsea

Reading Time: 3 minutes

---

Do you remember? It was a while ago now that I was reminiscing about open top buses on the seafront, the delights of People’s Provincial’s 70, and Blue Admiral’s vintage open-topper along Southsea? Well Xelabus had a crack at it a few years back and now a new operator will give it a try.

This is one of two new services for Southsea seafront, so if you are thinking about popping down to the Clarence Pier arcades, or Blue Reef Aquarium then you might want to do some of it by bus.

Portsmouth City Council have recently announced that from Monday, the Park and Ride service from Tipner restarts:

https://www.facebook.com/Portsmouthcitycouncil/photos/a.126838830697739/4690011567713753/

The following weekend though, First Solent will also be running a new seafront service between the Tipner Park & Ride site to Southsea Seafront.

PR3: Tipner Park & Ride – City Centre – Southsea

This is going to be a limited stop service. Clearly, unlike the usual Park & Ride service, the intention is primarily to get those coming from outside the Portsea Island area to and from the seafront, but there are some good things that have been thought about when it comes to what the the council and First Solent have agreed.

The PR3 will only call at the limited stops listed in this timetable which you can download off the excellent TravelineSW website. Once it gets to Commercial Road South it will then only call at:

• Civic Offices
• Portsmouth Cathedral (To Southsea)
• Then on a one-way loop via:
  • Clarence Pier
  • The D-Day Museum
  • Avenue De Caen (where there is no bus stop yet?)
• and direct back to Portsmouth Cathedral (To Tipner)

It does not call everywhere!

Interesting to me, is that the PR3 is not timetabled to call at either the Southsea War Memorial or Blue Reef Aquarium. You would have thought that the team at Portsmouth City Council will have wanted to promote the Aquarium as it is a prime place on the seafront and families will probably expect to be able to go see the sharks and rays and then get on the bus home.

The service is planned to run every 30 minutes though, from 0935 to 1835 (from Tipner) and increases the daytime service between Tipner and the City Centre from 4 to 6 buses an hour.

26: Clarence Pier – Southsea Seafront – Eastney

The new operator to Portsmouth bus services comes from out of town, which is always going to go one of two ways.

I do remember when Xelabus ran it’s open top bus service along the seafront between Gunwharf Quays and Eastney using an open top Leyland Atlantean. I think a photo I have enjoyed seeing over the years was this one from user PD3 on flickr.

Now, Aldermaston Coach Lines based on Newbury is having a punt along the seafront with a new service. Thanks Damon for the heads up:

https://twitter.com/damonfcox/status/1415548921728933888

A quick perusal of the TravelineSW website shows that the service has already got a timetable and is now available to view online. It is an hourly service with services leaving Clarence Pier from 1030 until 1630. It’s a much shorter service window than the First Solent / Portsmouth City Council offering, suggesting it might be a single bus and driver.

There is nothing more than this though at the moment. Damon says that he has not seen an open topper in the fleet and certainly, with nothing I have seen in my travels of bus blogs online there is noting to say they might either hire one in, or sub-contract the service!

They do however, have a number of modern double decker buses that they use on rail replacement work.

I am a little worried at viability, the service does not capture the tourist trap at Gunwharf Quays (and the Railway Station), Old Portsmouth Point or the quaint Hayling Ferry. The core passenger draw will be off the Park and Ride or people getting out of their cars. I really do hope the service lasts more than a season though.

Updated evening of 15th July: It appears that Aldermaston Coach Lines have acquired SN03 DZM an open topper since losing it’s roof at a low bridge in Norbiton (London) a number of years ago. Not confirmed, but makes sense.

I suppose that warrants a trip…. to a non-sandy beach

The kids will love it, they will go in the Clarence Pier arcades, want an ice cream and then demand a trip on an open top bus. Don’t go too far east though, or you will end up at the Naturist Beach at the… oh, eastern end of the 26.