In an announcement sent to staff and then passed on to the Hampshire Bus Update; First Solent are to relocate the hard standing parking at Hilsea’s News Centre to a new location off the beaten bus route. Well, I say off the beaten bus route… off the First Bus route anyway!
In the staff side announcement, the land owned as part of The News Centre’s site has been sold and First Solent asked to find somewhere else to live. In the announcement, First have already taken possession of the site in Limberline Road and will be running buses from the … outstation(?) before the end of the year.
So, as it stands at the moment, this is currently planned to be a parking area with some more basic facilities. The industrial unit behind the offices seems sizable, but with the current fleet size I wonder if First Solent would also be eyeing up the unit behind it (with direct access out on to Norway Road).
Bus drivers will be able to park their cars there and book on at Limberline Road, although the Hilsea Bus Depot itself will remain, at least for now. There will also be a shuttle service in the afternoon from Hilsea back for drivers and the support staff who refuel and shunt buses around in the evening. My primary thought there would be will that take another driver off the already empty drivers roster? Even as a I write this, a Tweet pops up to report staff shortages on the 2, Star 7 and Star 8.
The understanding of one of the reports that wound it’s way to my desk – and thank you, I appreciate you thinking of us – is that the Tipner Park & Ride buses are candidates for transferring across from Hoeford. Sighting of the announcement, it states that “30+ buses can be stored” at the site and later also says that “also has the potential to be the new permanent location for a planned New Hilsea depot.”
For now though, as the last buses are planned to be parked up by 20:45 at Limberline Road, the outlook for moving lock, stock and barrel to East Hilsea does not appear to feature in the short term. Having access to a site larger than you need right now though is a good idea, especially if you want to (maybe) install things like electric vehicle chargers. By the time it fully opens however, it might warrant running a normal service up Norway Road to … oh I don’t know Anchorage Park … to save on a shuttle driver.
If First do run regular buses to Anchorage Park methinks their “Farlington Friends” might not like the 21 having competition!
I would think it highly unlikely to be fair; however if First eventually open it as the sole Portsmouth depot then they will need some sort of shuttle to get staff to and from anyway!
Extend the 17 from Ocean Park (if it starts up again)?