Updated 18 December
Ahead of the first strike action scheduled by First Solent tomorrow, the timetables and hoped service levels have appeared. If I am honest, I am surprised that there are as many buses planned to run on Hoeford duty boards. I am not going to offer speculation of how they are planned to be covered.
If you want to jump straight to the First Solent information, then their incident page is live and has the attached timetables on an excel spreadsheet.
So on Thursday 19th, Saturday 21st and Tuesday 24th the First Solent Timetable appears to be running the following services:
- Normal Service on:
- 2 Gunwharf – Eastney – Copner – Paulsgrove
- 7 Commercial Road – North End – Waterlooville – Weckock Farm
- 8 Gunwharf – Stamshaw – Waterlooville – Clanfield
- 22 Lower Wymering/Highbury – Farlington
- H1 Hoverbus
- PR1 Portsmouth Park & Ride
- Portsmouth University contracts U1 and U2
- Schools & Colleges: PC1, PC2, RED, SD4, SD5, SD7
- Reduced Service (and only between 7am and 7pm) on:
- Service 3 running every 20 minutes Fareham to Cosham only
- Service 5 running hourly
- Service E1 & E2 running every 30 minutes (each variation)
No other services are planned to run.
On Boxing Day 26th December, all planned services are expected to run, however short notice cancellations may be required on Hoeford-based services:
- Eclipse E1 & E2
- Service 3 Fareham – Cosham – Gunwharf – Southsea
- Service 1 Southsea – Eastney – Fratton -Gunwharf
Unite the Union have announced that bus drivers at the Hoeford depot of First Solent intend to take strike action on four dates in December.
After it was announced before the weekend, I did keep an eye out to see if there were any hints at whether anything is planned to run without success. The dates affected are:
- Thursday 19th December
- Saturday 21st December
- Tuesday 24th December
- Thursday 26th December
It appears that most of the drivers are members of Unite, so this likely means that disruption will be severe if the action goes ahead. First Solent will probably have to prioritise their contract services first which will mean the core commercial services will suffer the most.
There are still 10 days to the first strike day though, so it is still possible for a revised pay offer and for the action to be suspended.
I have a friend who’s dad works for first solent and he has been told it’s only hoeford who are striking
Thanks for the correction, I was told yesterday that it was both.
Thats ok.
Your dates are wrong. Monday is 23 December and Thursday is 26 December. Why take industrial action on Boxing Day? Are there any buses? If so must only be Sunday timetable.
I must have written that between the third and fourth glasses of eggnog. Well spotted!
There are buses on Boxing Day at First Solent. It’s a reduced timetable on Eclipse and selected Portsmouth routes.