From Sunday 29th May, First Wessex will be introducing their summer service timetable, coinciding with both morebus re-introducing their Breezer services and the half-term beginning. It sounds like Wool Railway Station Level Crossing is definitely going to be a place to be to photograph open top buses this season – I might see you there!
Now – First – A Rare Compliment from me. Now you know I am a complete and utter moron when I start getting a rant under my collar. Well maybe you don’t, but I do and I will rare let things lie when I am aggrieved. This time is not though, because First Wessex have a brilliant timetable guide for Summer 2022. It is clear, colourful and has both easy to read maps and timetables.
GO –DOWNLOAD the new Weymouth guide now! they also promise printed timetables imminently!
What they didn’t do though, was summarise any changes on their new timetable in the Planned Changes section of their website. So I am just going to grab another coffee and work through it for you.
1 to Portland
Journey times are being extended because of the summer season (memory serves that this normally happens) but frequencies remain generally the same 15 minutes that they are at the moment (every 20 minutes on Sundays).
I also can not remember if the Friday and Saturday overnight service happened last year…. well it is not this year in either case!
2 to Radipole & Littlemoor
Evening services are retimed but a new later last bus at 2355 is introduced Monday to Saturday.
3 to Westham
All services are retimed. Last service from Weymouth has been removed.
4 to Chalbury Corner and Preston
There is an increase in frequency from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday with buses also running late into the evening. I can not remember if the 4a to Seaview and Sutton Poyntz was running last year, but it is not this year.
The Sunday service also returns with a one-bus service running every 35 minutes.
8 to Chickerell
Most trips are retimed by a few minutes in the daytime and the summer late evening service is re-introduced. Sunday services are on a completely revised timetable.
10 to Dorchester
The frequency remains every 20 minutes (every 30 minutes on Sundays) but the timetable has changed and adds in extra running time to allow for tourist traffic. Later last buses have also been added to the timetable.
The Tourist and Parks Services
I remember going to Littlesea Holiday Park a number of times over the years with the kids. It always seemed to be a busy little service and from the first service after the National Concessionary Pass became valid we would struggle to get the pushchair on as well as get a seat.
So it is a shame to see that the holiday park services are much reduced this year. A quick look at the Haven website suggests that especially Littlesea could be a complete sell out and people will want to go to the beach!
Portland Coaster 501 to Portland Bill
There will be no summer uplift this year. The timetable will remain at 4 round trips a day instead of the hourly service (bar the lunch break) they had in 2021.
502 to Haven Littlesea
I do remember last year that there were quite a few reports of the 502 having cancellations last year on it’s high-summer half hourly frequency. This year it will be a one bus operation, running every 50 minutes between the beach and the caravan. The extension to Weymouth’s Sealife Centre also does not make an appearance.
503 to Waterside Park & Spa
This bus along the beach to Bowleze Cove and Waterside will run a one-bus operation every 45 minutes (with a lunchbreak) every day.
Jurassic Coasters
There are NEW BUSES for the Jurassic Coasters this year:
These refurbished vehicles I think came from Bristol – I know where to find it, but I am spending so long comparing timetables that my coffee is getting cold!
X51 Weymouth – Dorchester – Bridport – Axminster
X53 Weymouth – Abbotsbury – Bridport – Axminster
The timings for almost every journey will change, although the basic frequency of the two services is the same. The services are largely back timed to meet with trains at Axminster Railway Station, so this means that buses will depart earlier from Weymouth and arrive later.
The Sunday timetable for X51 is re-introduced and this means that there is at least 1, X51 or X53 bus an hour. BUT WHY travel of a closed-top Jurassic Coaster when you have:
Open-Top Jurrasic Coaster X52 Monkey World – Weymouth – Bridport
First Wessex will be running a two-hourly Open Top bus service to Monkey World this year.
The service is timed to provide an hourly service with the X53 between Bridport, Abbotsbury and Weymouth, then an hourly service with the X54 to Lulworth, Durdle Door and Wool. It will then divert off to Bovington Tank Museum & Monkey World.
On a glorious sunny day, that sounds like 2 and a half hours of pure suntan indulgence to me!
and…. it had to be done….
My only complaint about the timetable book is that it is not clear whether this is indeed a through service or a change of bus in Weymouth. I am assuming, by the times in the timetable, that it is.
X54 Weymouth – Wool – Wareham – Poole
The X54 returns to it’s more frequent daily service this year as well. Some additional later evening buses run Monday to Saturday, so check the timetable carefully before you have to get a train back from Poole, and there is a comment in the timetable about changing buses at Poole to the Yellow Bus service (which has only recently been rerouted to service Poole Railway Station).
That does as the question of whether the Yellow and First collaborative ticket will be on offer again this summer?
So in summer-y
I love the new First Bus summer timetable, I hate the fact that printed material is on a sharp decline over the last few years. Indeed I believe that First Bus will have a summer information stand near the Kings Statue this year as they were advertising for staff to man it!
Almost every service has a significant timetable change of some sort though, and that is something that I do not think was put across enough. I don’t think previous years have had such a substantial change, although I might simply have rose tinted sunglasses.
I am not holidaying in Weymouth this year, but it might need a few day trips!
Page 4 of the guide mentions that tickets can indeed be used on Yellow Buses services over the summer.
Hi Robbob. That is indeed what I was alluding to. They mention the Yellow Buses connection on the timetable page, but not the fact that tickets will be valid.