You you hate it when you get the same sources, but have different outcomes? That’s how I felt on Friday when someone popped up on Facebook and went “There’s a new First service to Southsea coming soon!” I can see their timetable, I can see the service details, was it in my data download…. don’t be silly!
The thing is, certainly as I type this at 3am on Saturday, have only just done a new round-up, it would probably be a week before this got published. It also helps me test whether a picture of a First Solent bus will be included in new format Facebook and Bluesky posts! it will also help to try and limit those posts to between 6am and 11pm…..
First Solent have announced a new X3 service for (what might only be) the school summer holidays starting Monday 27th July. This is a half-hourly service which appear to be run from Hoeford depot based on the timetable and will run Monday to Saturday. Looking at the timetable on BusTimes (damn them) it is timed to offer an almost clockface four buses an hour between Fareham Bus Station and Gunwharf Quays via the M275.
The X3 – if you have not already beaten me to the timetable link above – will basically mirror the X4 and X5 along the route, then extend to Southsea via Palmerston Road Shops to South Parade Pier. It is not timetabled to run via Clarence Pier. As the service is due to start on the first day of the school summer holidays, I can only assume it will only run for 6 or 7 weeks.
The X3 undoes the damage done to the frequency of the latest X4 / X5 revision and brings the service along Southampton Road (and hence indirectly to Paulsgrove) back in line with the intention of the Portsmouth BSIP, providing a best ever service into the city along the A27 route. I expect that it may be a permanent rather than seasonal service, time will tell of course.
When I saw the route number and before looking at the timetable I did wonder whether it would run via Allaway Avenue and then join the M275 at the top of Western Road, which would have brought a truly direct express service to Paulsgrove, but that would likely give a too much of a uneven departure pattern on common points along the route.
Although I am hoping that there might be some permanency to it, the date of the change is what makes me think that there is an option of “this was just a summer service” if it does get withdrawn in September. We have of course, seen many of the iterations of the M275 services come and go although many of them were before the improvements from the Tipner Park & Ride bus priorities.
No open-toppers for the seafront again this year though!
I have had it confirmed that it is a permanent route.