So things seem to be coming along nicely here and while I have been playing around with things in the back there have been a number of service changes slowly dropping. I am never sure what I should start with first.
Bus Pass Woes
There continues to be some articles which float around the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding that has been promised to Hampshire. An article shared across the Hampshire Chronicle and the Basingstoke Gazette call for the reinstatement of the pre-0930 easement for the Disabled National Concessionary Bus Pass. As much as I feel that this would be a good thing, the fact that Hampshire also cut a number of subsidies and last week cut some elements of the Home to School transport scheme (itself aimed to assist children with SEND); suggests the calls will not be heard.
On the other foot though, a letter from an anonymous contribution to the Southern Daily Echo questioned the need for bus passes at all..
Meanwhile in Portsmouth of course, they announced last month that their easement would continue.
First Solent Changes (but not including the PR3?)
So last week I pointed out that a really early timetable appeared for the usually summer season service PR3 between the Tipner Park & Ride and Clarence Pier. The timetable was shown as being from Sunday 12th April which I pointed out then was unusual and that I had tried to contact PCC for comment without success.
Well the Tipner Park & Ride questions webform still does not appear to work, however the PR3 timetable itself appears to also have been “withdrawn” as my scraper calls it (or rather the timetable has disappeared from the system).
So the PR3 might not quite be back for the Easter period, but it did point to a possible timetable update from the same Sunday 12th April. There are changes showing on the system which will be a great ay to show off the work I have been doing with independent PDF generations:
This timetable is not fully correct with some missing times and some formatting errors, but it is suggesting that the X4 and X5 maybe getting a service cut on 12th April. Indeed the individual timetables are showing that the X4 and X5 will be reduced to hourly.
The separate timetables for the X4 and X5 are below, which accurately show the timetable from Sunday 12th April:
I know…. cleaner and clearer, I will persevere with the combined timetable
Changes on the Isle of Wight
I guessed they were coming, but the Southern Vectis summer season starts on 23 March. There are registrations now showing for the Needles Breezer, Island Coaster and Summer Links.
There are no timetables available yet on the system, however I would not expect much different from previous years:
- Hourly on the Needles Breezer until the Easter Holidays then every half-hour
- Two round trips a day ( four on weekends and school holidays ) on Tapnell’s Summer Links
- Two or three Island Coaster trips a day
I am still working through the diagram process
There are no timetables showing in the usual TravelineSW locations, so don’t assume there are no other changes. This is more of a “Hi I am still alive” and VOSA have yet to publish First Solent for April……
Ironically if the X4 & X5 are to be hourly every day it makes remembering the times much easier than the current very silly every 42 & a bit min frequency. The two services remind me of the old 72 & the old 80 routes.
Even if AI tweaks the time by adding on a couple of minutes, to the regular Joe it will be (say) 10 past every hour even if it is timed officially to be 12 mins past.
Of course, if they were to extend the 28/a from Whiteley to Hedge End, Bitterne and Southampton, call it the X6 and run it hourly…..
I so wish they would. Although rather have Bluestar !
I really don’t know what First are playing at with how they’re slowly abandoning areas between Fareham and Southampton. Yes I know that sounds dramatic but seriously if one thinks about the thousands of homes in the area, growing all the time (especially Whiteley, and Locks Heath in the past) and likely to have (or have had) developer funds kicking around First has made a real hash of seizing opportunities to grow their market. The same applies to the western part of Fareham, where I have had to make sure a meeting I run in Fareham town centre finishes before 3.30pm on a Saturday (yes 3.30pm) so one of our members can get home on the last bus to the Highlands area. I think Bluestar should make incursions pronto! Put First out of their misery and start to grow the market. If they can do it on the 1 to Winchester they can do something at least half as good with Fareham.
I could go on all day about the shambles that is First in Fareham. Their service, if you can call it that, was crap and expensive when I returned to this area in 2018, now it’s crap, considerably less frequent and expensive. I think the last bus up to the Highlands on a Saturday was 1835 back in 2018, now 1530 as you say. And on the F1/F2 the electronic “HANOVER” onboard display is still not working properly, farting out incorrect stop information and displaying the corresponding incorrect stop details, fully SIX MONTHS after the routes were changed. (At least the drivers seem to know the routes now, when they didn’t at first.) Also, there was nothing, nothing at all at Fareham Bus Station to announce the introduction of the SolentGo Greater Portsmouth Day ticket, last year. Because they still wanted people to fork out for the FirstBus Hampshire one, I suspect. (Which is now a completely pointless investment unless you’re going to be hopping on and off the X4/X5 between the Hamble and Southampton all day, of course.)
I don’t blame the drivers or the admirable Brian down at the station at all, we all saw how the company tried to stiff them 15 months ago. Fact is the company’s a complete crock of s*** and has been, wherever I’ve been forced to use it, over the years.
The X4 / X5 between Fareham and Portsmouth is supposedly a key route which Portsmouth has identified in its Bus Service Improvement Plan as one for investment and service frequency increase – the idea being that it provides the quickest route into the City, via the M275, for people living in Paulsgrove (who can get to the Retail Park stop by using Racecourse Lane). When I saw the post I thought maybe it was being cut between Fareham and Southampton but then supplemented by shorts from Fareham to the City. Apparently not so. I wonder what PCC makes of this poke in the eye of their BSIP?
The route between Fareham and the City via the M275 is one that has been regularly courted over the years of course, and I can see why the City would be interested.
The thing I would be mindful of though, is that the City is only looking after the City. Running the weekend late night services on the 3 only to Portchester for example.