Yes, I know, you have probably already read it on the website. I checked and waited, particularly as First Bus were about to release their summer timetables as well; but I missed it. The morebus summer uplift takes place on Saturday 28th May (that’s the start of half term for most of you) and although the summer services see a lift, some others will also see a cut.
Thanks though to Tony for the heads up on the changes as well.
There are new routes for the summer season in rural Dorset and changes to the original more as well. So lets take a look at the town services first. At the time of writing, neither TravelineSW or morebus’ website are showing the PDF downloads for the new timetables, but the online journey planner on the morebus website is showing them. I think this is just a feature of the website though.
Changes in Bournemouth and Poole
m1 Poole – Bournemouth – Castlepoint – *Royal Bournemouth Hospital*
Original morebus service m1 will be extended to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. This is something that has been done on Christmas Day for many years, but will now be an all round thing. It looks like the routing will be direct down the main road.
The frequency appears to be (for each of the m1 and m2) every 8 minutes weekday daytime, every 9 minutes on Saturdays and every 12 minutes on Sundays.
3 Poole – *Oakdale* – *Creekmoor* – Broadstone – Corfe Mullen – Wimborne
In Poole, service 3 will be rerouted between Poole and Broadstone to run via Oakdale, Creekmoor and Waterloo Estate. it will then continue on it’s current route towards Corfe Mullen and Wimborne. It replaces the ‘short’ route 4s to Broadstone and some of the capacity from curtailed 8 and 9, in the area.
This will add about 7 minutes to the journey, but will remain every 30 minutes and gains a new hourly Sunday service.
This will not be the case on a weekday rush hour though because instead we have:
New 3x Poole – Wessex Gate – Broadstone – Corfe Mullen – Wimborne
The peak hour variant of the 3 will run via the Wessex Gate Retail Park and Darbys Corner to Broadstone, before following the same route as the 3 to Wimborne.
8 & 9 Poole – Turlin Moor – Upton – Oakdale – Poole
Partly replaced by the 3, services 8 & 9 will have a timetable change during the daytime off-peak hours.
Service 8 will have a reduced frequency from start of service until 0830, where it will then run every 15 minutes to Turlin Moor. Buses will then only extend every 30 minutes around the rest of the circular route with the others returning to Poole as a service 9. Then from mid-afternoon the service will reduce to every 20 minutes but all buses will do the full circuit.
Service 9 will run the opposite, with a higher frequency in the morning than in the afternoon.
This would suggest that the peak flow for this pair of services is the section between Turlin Moor and Poole, with the re-routed 3 filling in for missing 8 and 9 buses through Oakdale.
13 Bournemouth – Moordown – Ferndown – Wimbourne
32 Poole – Broadstone – Merley – Kinson – Winton – Bournemouth
898 Poole ASDA Shuttle Bus
Minor timing changes through the routes to cater for changed traffic conditions.
Changes to the Breezers
There are quite a few changes to the Purbeck Breezer services because the summer tourists are coming. There are more substantial changes around Wareham and Wool this year.
Breezer 30 Swanage – Wareham – Durdle Door – Weymouth
So you can get your fix of jumping off of big rocks like a looney, the Breezer 30 via Durdle Door is back this year. The service is largely similar, although with an additional bus here and there (like a later Wool to Weymouth service)
Breezer 31 Wool – Winfrith – Durdle Door – Lulworth
Breezer 31 is not serving the Wareham Forest Parks this year and will be replaced by NEW Breezer 35. Instead it will start at Wool Railway Station, get stuck for 20 minutes at the railway level crossing, then do an counter-clockwise circle via Winfrith, Durdle Door (for more jumping off high rocks), Lulworth Cove and back to Wool.
This will run hourly for most of the day.
New Breezer 35 Swanage – Wareham – Wareham Forest
With the Breezer 30, the new service will provide a nearly hourly service between Swanage and Wareham before meandering off to Hunter’s Moon, Birchwood and Wareham Forest Holiday Parks.
Breezer 40 Swanage – Wareham – Holton Heath – Poole
Breezer 50 Bournemouth – Sandbanks Ferry – Swanage
Breezer 60 Rockley Park – Poole – Sandbanks Ferry
The Bournemouth and Poole Breezers return to their summer timetables with trips well into the late evening, 4 buses an hour through Sandbanks (between the 50 and the 60) and open top bus rides, on the ferry, cross the harbour!
Breezer 70 East Cliff – Bournemouth – *Westbourne* – Branksome – Poole
Finally – The Breezer 70 also returns, with a re-routing in Westbourne, running hourly.
Breezer 31 will not get stuck at the LC because the route is all south of the railway (as is the station bus stop).
Sorry Tony, I was trying to be more tongue in cheek with things; enthusiasts depending for open top bus wars, millions of people heading to jump off Durdle Door and the like.
I think it worked better in my head.
There won’t be 4 buses per hour between Poole and Sandbanks, because the 50 goes to Bournemouth not Poole!
The 3 running via Creekmoor replaces the short 4s.
Thank you for your corrections.