A quick round-up

It’s one of those quick round-ups again as I have been a little busy ( or negligent ) and not been able to post the timely updates you are used to. It’s okay, I just have this massive backlog that only ever gets larger by the day, you know the idea.

Andrew Wickham MBE

As many of you will know, Andrew Wickham MBE passed away just over a week ago. I was saddened to hear of his families loss and although I did not know him personally, his name was never far from the lips of the industries commentators.

He was awarded his MBE for services to the bus industry in this years King’s New Year’s Honours, and had been a feature of bus services in the South for most of his 40 year career.

If you want to read just one obituary to Andrew Wickham, I would suggest the one from BusAndTrainUser Roger French.

Z00 Funding Ends

What came as quite a surprise across Facebook and X yesterday was the fact that funding has been withdrawn for the Z00 bus taking families to Marwell Zoo. Thanks to the Hants & Surrey Bus Blog for the heads up, although I had seen it and added it to the list, Bluestar has posted on it’s website and social media that the service ceases with immediate effect.

The two questions I would have are: Did Marwell really not see the ongoing value of the service? Where was the cancellation notice on VOSA?

The X50 back in the Summer

Confirmation from our detective in the field Tony, confirms that First Wessex will be running the X50 again in the summer holidays. It will be an open-top operation following the same route as the X54 providing an hourly service through Lulworth and Corfe.

For anyone taking a trip down to the area, I can highly recommend doing the open top service alongside a trip to the Swanage Railway. The Southern Electric Traction Group have been at Swanage recently with preserved 4VEP 3417 – not sure if it is still there or now back home in South Western Railway’s Strawberry Hill Depot – but there are also steam and diesel hauled trips all summer long!

Hampshire bus re-tendering

Although Hampshire County Council have had DOGE look at their bus service financing (too soon?) some of the supported bus services across the county were spared the axe because of their connection to school bus services and contracts. Two weeks ago Hampshire County Council announced re-tendering results for some of these services at a decision day held on 16th May 2025:

• Basingstoke: Services 12 (Brighton Hill and Kempshott Park), 14 (Bramley and Tadley), 15 (South View) and 17 (Black Dam)
• Gosport & Fareham: Services 11 (A32 and Elson) and 21 (Hill Head)
• Havant: Services 27 (Rowlands Castle and Emsworth) and D1/D2 (Denmead and Hambledon)
• New Forest: Services 6 (Lymington to Southampton), 112 (Hythe and Beaulieu), 119/120/191/193 (New Milton), 125 (Ringwood and Christchurch) and X2 (Lymington to Bournemouth) – as well as schools routes 761 and 777.
• Totton & Romsey: Services H1/2 & T3/4 and 35/634/635

The contracts will just just under £2 million this year and then increases by 5% each year.

New Forest Tour cuts?

Also from the desk of the Hants & Surrey Bus Blog because I had not noticed it, is that the New Forest Tour appears to be a reduced service for 2025.

The PDF timetable shows the summer service to be 2 buses on the Green Route and one on each of the Red and Blue. I note that I did not save previous PDF timetables for the New Forest Tour, so I can not be too sure.

Stagecoach in Portsmouth – Goodwood Services

Timetables are now online for the Stagecoach South services to Goodwood Racecourse for Three Friday Nights racing and music evenings. I am not advertising the event, but for those of you that look for the quirky and unusual bus displays we have:

• 913 Petersfield Square (1630) & Midhurst (1655)
• 914 Gunwharf (1605), Fratton Bridge (1620), Havant (1645)
• 915 Fareham Bus Station (1615), Portchester East Street (1625) and Havant Bus Station (1645)
• 916 Clanfield Drift Road (1615) Horndean Precinct (1620), Cowplain Shops (1627), Waterlooville Hulbert Road (1630) and Havant Bus Station (1645)

You should note that only the stops listed above appear to be served, so don’t bother trying it for local journeys…. and it is probably a premium fare as well.

Pictures

Lastly, because I keep forgetting I have a Flickr account to upload them all to, having some pictures that I have been taking over the last few months. I am hoping to be getting out much more in future so that I can bring you more. I must admit, I quite like the Bluestar “ladies recruitment” bus on the 61.