May 2022 bring you all that 2021 found was put into isolation. May home-schooling not be a thing of the future and Long Live Great British Railways – or something.
I am not going to do the whole review of the year stuff, because frankly I think we all know what the all-encompassing, over-arching factor will be on it all. I did more moaning about Xelabus back then, and their sheer lack of regard for people who relied on their website for up-to-date information. I only stopped because their website is still as sloppy as ever, and they don’t seem to care.
All the bus companies were touting reductions in service through January 2021 though, something which some of them have started to do again. I see this morning that Yellow Buses have posted a new timetable with just 5 days notice yesterday… I am not going to criticise the fact they have done that as I have seen in my own day job how quickly an outbreak can spread. At least they were honest about how quick they have to change things.
After 18 months of this blog though, following the sudden disappearance of the Southampton Bus Update, I have realised just how big an area I cover. I use the Royal ‘We’ quite a lot, but it is one man doing it in his spare time to document the changes, because he is interested in the business and industry side of things. Just like I take an interest in the business, industry, franchising side of the railway.
Anyway, less about me. That meander through my mind was really to say one thing:
Thank you everyone who takes the time to tip me off, email me things I have missed, or takes a behind the curtain prod at an independent operator. Clive, Andrew, and others; thank you!
I do appreciate it when you tell me I have missed something. Keeping up means I get less change of photographing buses than I used to. Anyway;
Service Levels on New Years Eve
Bluestar:
Bluestar are running their usual mix of Saturday and weekday services across the daytime:
Weekday Services run on the following Routes:
Services 35 and 39 in the Romsey area.
Hythe town services H1 and H2
Red Funnel Shuttle – the QuayConnect
Full Saturday Timetables without an early finish run on all other routes. The following extra morning buses will also run:
| Bluestar 5 | 0705 from Eastleigh to Romsey and 0745 from Romsey to Eastleigh |
| Bluestar 9 | 0527 Langley to Southampton |
| Bluestar 12 | 0555 from Calmore to Southampton and 0625 from Southampton to Calmore |
First Wessex
A Full Friday timetable will run this year. This includes post-midnight services to Portland where I would hope the driver will happily hear a shout of HAPPY NEW YEAR! at the appropriate time. Please though, no fireworks…..
First Solent and First City Red
Hilsea, Hoeford and Southampton depots are all running a Saturday service today.
These are also going to be subject to an early finish. I find that a bit odd as there are plenty of events in Portsmouth and Southampton going ahead despite the restrictions, and Bluestar are running their full service!
The last bus times for tonight’s services are here for First Solent and here for First City Red.
morebus
Like Bluestar (which makes sense – all being GoAhead), more have a weekday service running on some routes:
- Long-distance X prefixed services (X1/X2 to Lymington, X3 to Ringwood and Salisbury, X6 to Ringwood, X8 to Blandford)
- Community services 23 and 24 in the Christchurch area
- New Forest services 119, 125, 191, 193, RINGO, CANGO
The rest of the Bournemouth and Poole timetable will run to a full Saturday service with no early finish. There are also the following additional early morning extra trips:
| 5 | 05:51 | Tollerford Road to Poole |
| 8 | 05:48 | Poole to Poole |
| 9 | 05:52 | Turlin Moor to Poole |
| 13 | 06:37 | Merley to Bournemouth |
| 14 | 06:12 | Kinson to Poole |
| 16 | 06:14 | Branksome to Poole |
| 16 | 06:51 | The 0651 from Branksome to Poole will additionally serve Bournemouth Square at 0640 and Westbourne County Gates at 0647 |
| 17 | 05:45 | Poole to Bournemouth |
Southern Vectis
The Isle of Wight has a full Friday timetable on New Years Eve, and this includes night buses on their usual routes.
Southampton Mini Link
This is the last day that the Southampton to Ringwood services is going to run for the foreseeable future. Simon Gard, who promised himself that he would never start running his own bus company, ever again, after Southbourne Buses ( and then set up Southampton Mini Link a few years later, AND took over Dekkabus ) has a driver shortage which means that he is suspending service 5 after today.
The service will be running a full Friday timetable though.
Stagecoach South
Stagecoach will be running a weekday service across their lower frequency and Friday only services across the area:
- Services 5, 7, 66 and 67 in Andover
- Service 63 in Winchester
- Service 16 in Basingstoke
- Hoverbus in Portsmouth
The rest of the service will be to a Saturday timetable, subject to an early closedown of approximately 9pm. You can find last bus running times here for Andover, here for Basingstoke, here for Portsmouth, here for Winchester.
Xelabus
Xelabus will be operating a weekday timetable for the following services:
- Services X6 & X7 for Hiltingbury
- Service X15 for Hamble
- Service X17 for Petersfield
- Bitterne Hoppa
X4, X9 and X10 will run a Saturday service.
Yellow Buses
Finally to our largest independent operator. Yellow Buses are running an array of timetables and variations today. As with my criticism of Xelabus, the official news page for the services is a bit of a hotchpotch of information that is not really laid out that well:
Saturday services will run on the core routes in Bournemouth and Poole with an early close down of all routes between 6pm and 8pm. I find this REALLY early, especially on high-frequency routes heading away from the town centre. Full details of last buses for these are in a list here.
Full Weekday timetables will run on routes 18, 33 and 36
A weekday timetable, finishing early runs on the 4a (which is in the list above), 6h and 737 (which are not)
NIGHT BUSES DO NOT RUN on New Years Eve, although a little note at the bottom of the page says they did run on the 29th and 30th….. you would have thought logic would be the other way around….
ANYWAY!
It’s now 04:30 (yes in the morning) and I am off to work. Enjoy your New Years Eve, however you choose to celebrate it. See you in 2022!