Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas.
However you choose to celebrate the big day – this year we are on the Isle of Wight – I hope that you are having the festive season that you can enjoy. It feels like it is the first season for me that is truly past the worst of the last few years, although I spend every Christmas as the designated driver…
There are some drivers out there that are designated drivers just for you as well! The following festive services are going to be operating on Christmas Day, albeit I doubt that the big guy himself will be available as he has been out all night!
The services listed below are the only services running and no other buses or operators will be running.
Bluestar
Across Southampton there are a number of Christmas Day services running. These have changed from previous years and specifically note that the 18X is not going to Lordshill this year:
- Service 1X between Southampton, Eastleigh, Chandlers Ford and Winchester – Every 2 Hours
- NEW Service 17X an hourly service which follows the normal route 17
- Service 18X an hourly service which extends to the General Hospital and Aldermoor Turning Circle – With the new 17X this year serving Lordshill.
Special flat fares apply
First Solent
As part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan, the following bus services have been funded to run on Christmas Day for the first time. Services will all run hourly and between approximately 8am and 6pm:
- Service 1: Gunwharf – City – Fratton – Southsea
- Service 2: Gunwharf – City – Eastney – Cosham – Paulsgrove
- Service 3: Fareham – Paulsgrove – Cosham – North End – City – Gunwharf – Southsea
- The Star 7: Gunwharf – City – North End – Cosham – Waterlooville – Wecock Farm
- The Star 8: Gunwharf – City – Stamshaw – Cosham – Waterlooville (Only)
Note: The Star 8 will not run north of Waterlooville on Christmas Day.
The full PDF timetable is available to download on the First Solent website.
morebus
morebus are running their usual pair of services. This year, the “extension” of the m1 to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital is normal all year service, as it was extended earlier in the year. The m2 is also extended as usual to Christchurch:
- service m1 – as usual will run hourly Poole – Bournemouth – Castlepoint – Royal Bournemouth Hospital
- service m2 – as usual will run hourly Poole – Bournemouth – Southbourne – Christchurch
Special flat fares apply
Southern Vectis
Although just about in walking distance to my Christmas Lunch this year, I doubt that I will be permitted to go and wander about the limited Christmas network that Southern Vectis has run for as many years as I have a memory left.
The following routes will have their usual Christmas Day service (and normal fares apply as far as I know). You can also download the full timetable as a PDF from the Southern Vectis website:
- Service 1 between Newport and Cowes will run hourly from 9am to 9pm (from Newport)
- Service 3 around the Island from Newport to Ryde (via Rookley, Ventnor, Shanklin and Brading) runs hourly from 8am Newport /8.30am Ryde to 10pm/10.30pm
- Service 5 from Newport to East Cowes has 5 round trips
- Service 7 from Newport to Shalfleet, Yarmouth and Totland (no Calbourne, Wellow or Needles today) also has 5 round trips
- Service 9 from Ryde to Wooton and Newport will hourly from 8am to 9pm from Newport
Stagecoach South
Alongside First Solent above, Stagecoach South are operating a Christmas Day service in Portsmouth for the first time in as long as I can remember. This is along the routes that are being enhanced with Bus Service Improvement Plan money from the New Year, which ties in with the services that are being run from Hilsea / Hoeford:
- Service 21: Gunwharf – City – Copner – Havant
- Service 23: Southsea – Gunwharf – City – North End – Cosham – Havant – Leigh Park
Normal fares apply and the full timetable PDF is available for download from their website.
Whatever you are doing today, may I wish you a very Merry Christmas and I hope that I see you again in the New Year for more bus shenanigans. I know that there are some (or many) out there that would rather not, and I sometimes come across as anti-bus, but as long as I don’t get a lump of coal I hope that I actually come across as pro-bus passenger.
There you go, dribbling rant over; now to watch VOSA to see if a certain Operators Licence is still active…..