First Wessex have announced their Christmas schedules for 2025 and with thanks to Tony for the heads up that they have appeared. I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is pretty much the standard limp biscuit of a service that has affected users in the Weymouth and South Dorset area over the years.
This is not necessarily the fault of First Wessex; other authority areas financially support loss making services.
So if you want to jump straight to the First Bus interpretation of things, head directly to their news page.
Monday 22nd & Tuesday 23rd December
UPDATED: First Wessex quietly updated their page to read that a normal weekday service will run. So I have struck through anything that I have checked is now incorrect.
Now…. the First Wessex news article on Christmas services says:
Saturday level of service ** There are exceptions. For more details, please view timetables
Looking through the timetables though, most of the services appear to be running a weekday timetable? Whether this is a mistake in the description, or a mistake in the uploaded timetables I am not sure.
I doubt that any of the management at Edwards Street read this, so I doubt we will find out beforehand.
Saying that, if you take the CR6 timetable PDF as it is written, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are a full weekday timetable! Likewise the same error appears to have affected service 10, so I think there has been an error in the uploading of timetable data. Yes I know there is also a Christmas Eve separate timetable listed on the timetables page, but that is the point.
So you will forgive me for not saying “This is a Saturday timetable except;” because I am not sure they will be right.
Christmas Eve
Likewise, I am not really prepared to make an overarching statement on service levels for Christmas Eve. Based on the timetables uploaded to the First Wessex website, we can make some assumptions:
- Based on Service 1 to Portland (which is a good guide) it is mostly a Saturday service with an early finish
- This would suggest that Monday and Tuesday are in fact a Saturday service except services without a Saturday service which might (or might not) be a weekday service
From what I can tell of the school holiday Saturday service that is shown on the service 1 PDF timetable….. the exceptions to full normal Saturday timetable are:
- Service 1: 2042 from Weymouth / 2129 from Portland
- Service 2: 2057 from Weymouth / 2117 from Littlemoor (Brisbane Road)
- Service 3: Normal weekday (school holiday) timetable
- Service 10: 2031 from Weymouth / 2109 from Poundbury
- Service X54: Normal weekday (school holiday) service
Christmas Day & Boxing Day
There are no buses running on Christmas Day or Boxing Day
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th December
Normal Saturday and Sunday timetable.
Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th December
Services appear to be running to a Saturday timetable with the following exceptions:
- Service 3 – weekday service
- Service X54 – weekday service
New Years Eve
There is a Saturday level of service on most routes, again with similar exceptions and last buses to Christmas Eve:
Service 1: 2042 from Weymouth / 2129 from PortlandService 2: 2057 from Weymouth / 2117 from Littlemoor (Brisbane Road)Service 3: Normal weekday (school holiday) timetableService 10: 2031 from Weymouth / 2109 from PoundburyService X54: Normal weekday (school holiday) service
Clearly First Wessex made many mistakes when they first published their service strategy, as they now have late night buses running on many routes, including service 1 to Portland and service 10 to Dorchester.
Check their timetables page for details.
New Years Day
There is no service on New Years Day
Friday 2nd January
Services appear to be running to a Saturday weekday timetable with exceptions.
Saturday 3rd January
Normal service resumes.
If any of this is confusing then head to the First Solent website here.
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