Back in the Bus Lane – I think!

Reading Time: 10 minutes

It has been two months since I last posted. I know, it’s not very timely behaviour and I must do better! Lots of things going on, lots of changes happening and I let my regular posting schedule slip just a little bit. I have also been doing more overtime at that thing that pays the mortgage, although it is more to pay for a substantial milestone holiday in about 18 months time.

It was not a deliberate reduction in service frequency, so I am sorry if you have missed me, I saw David stuck his arm out in the emails and tries to hail me down and I missed that too (sorry David), I have been busy overhauling the email system to make it smarter… so smart it moved your email to the enquiries list and did not tell me!

If you want something more polished, professional and three times a week I highly recommend Bus and Train User. Roger was local recently at the WightRider and Beer & Steam events while sampling Southern Vectis’ new bus route.

Service Changes

Alongside the usual change to timetables at the start of the school year, there are some more fundamental changes. I know that we have already mentioned some of them at the end of August when I last posted, but this is the list that I think I have found.

Stagecoach South

Most Stagecoach routes in Hampshire got new timetables on Sunday 30 August. Many of those changes are small retimings to improve punctuality, but I think I have caught the bigger ones in this humongous list:

Winchester

• Routes 7 and 68 (Winchester – Stockbridge – Salisbury): withdrawn from 30 August. Both registrations have been cancelled. A new route 7 runs from Winchester to Sparsholt village and Sparsholt College only, about every 2 hours, Monday to Saturday, between 0920 and 1730.
• Route 3 (City Centre – Harestock): more buses on weekdays, now about every 15 minutes between 0545 and 2310, every 20 minutes on Saturdays and every 30 minutes on Sundays. Extra running time has been added for punctuality.
• Route 14 (Teg Down – City Centre): new off-peak shopper service, with one journey each way on weekdays (into town at 1030, back at 1320).
• Route 16 (Winchester – Houghton): revised route through Weeke and Harestock, with timetable changes to match. Roughly every 2 hours, Monday to Saturday.
• Route 64 (Winchester – Alton): retimed for punctuality, with some extra evening journeys. Still about every 30 minutes, with the last buses around 2300.
• Routes 5 (Badger Farm), 6 (Springvale) and 67 (Winchester – Petersfield): minor retimings to some trips.
• Route 75 (Andover – Winchester): new timetable with extra evening and Saturday journeys. On Saturdays buses now run about hourly between 0645 and 2300.
• Route 86 (Oakley – Winchester): the loop around Oakley now runs in the opposite direction, and journeys have been retimed for punctuality. See the Andover section for a temporary change at Whitchurch.

Basingstoke

• Route 1 (Basingstoke – Brighton Hill): Retimings for reliability. About every 12 minutes on Monday to Saturday (0525 to 2300) and every 15 minutes on Sundays.
• Route 2 (Basingstoke – Tadley – Baughurst): minor retimings to some trips. The school-day 622 journeys have a revised route. About every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sundays.
• Route 10 (Old Basing – Basingstoke): minor retimings to some trips.
• Route 12 (Town Centre – Kempshott Park): the Queen Mary’s College section now runs as service 32.
• Route 13 (Basingstoke – Alton – Bordon): minor retimings to some trips to match Alton College times. There will be a further change for Eggar’s School from 1 November. Roughly hourly Monday to Saturday and every 2 hours on Sundays.
• Route 32 (Basingstoke – Newbury): extra journeys at peak times. Still hourly through the day.

Andover

• Routes 76, 86 and 676 at Whitchurch: from 20 October to 27 November, buses won’t call at the Hillside (Lynch Hill) and Test Road stops. Normal stops return on 28 November.
• Route 75: see Winchester above.

Portsmouth and Havant

• Route 21 (The Hard – Anchorage Park): minor retimings to some Sunday evening trips.

First Solent (Portsmouth and Fareham)

• New route X3 (Fareham – Portsmouth – Southsea, South Parade Pier): runs Monday to Saturday from 26 August and replaces the short evening X4 journeys between Fareham and Portsmouth. The X4 and X5 timetables have also been retimed for punctuality.
• Routes 28 and 28A (Fareham – Whiteley): are calling at Hispano Avenue until 31 October.
• Route H1 (Hovertravel shuttle, Southsea): winter timetable from 2 November. Still every 30 minutes, but the last bus leaves about 45 minutes earlier, at around 1840.
• University of Portsmouth routes U1 and U2: running for the 2026/27 academic year (until June 2027). The U1 is a weekday circular via Southsea, Eastney, Milton and Fratton. The U2 links the main campus with Langstone Campus, about every 50 minutes on weekdays between 0750 and 2210. Some Friday evening U2 times change from 1 November.

Bluestar (Southampton and Eastleigh)

Bluestar brought in a major revision of its Southampton network on Sunday 30 August.

• Route 16 (Townhill Park – City Centre): extended at its western end to Southampton General Hospital and Aldermoor, via Shirley. Buses now run every 30 minutes (previously every 15 minutes) Monday to Saturday, from about 0500 to 2300, and hourly on Sundays.
• New route 6 (City Centre – Peartree – Bitterne – Townhill Park, Vale Drive): every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday, from about 0630 to 2250. The published timetable also shows an hourly Sunday service. Together with the 16, Townhill Park still has a bus about every 15 minutes.
• New route 26 (City Centre – Bitterne – Hedge End – Whiteley): roughly hourly Monday to Saturday between 0600 and 2200, and every 2 hours on Sundays.
• Route 3 (Southampton – Hedge End – Eastleigh): revised route within Hedge End, so the Goodlands Vale and Wildern estate stops are no longer served. Still hourly, but with later evening buses (the last now around 2250). On Sundays it runs every 2 hours, with the first and last buses spread wider across the day.
• Route 7 (Sholing – City Centre – Lordshill): cut back to the Aldermoor turning circle, so the 7 no longer serves Lordshill. Still every 30 minutes. For Lordshill, use the 19 or 19a.
• Route 10 (City Centre – Bitterne – Sholing): now runs via Northam, Princes Street and Bitterne Manor instead of over the Itchen Bridge and through Peartree. Still hourly on weekdays, but Saturdays drop to about every 80 minutes.
• New night bus N9 (Southampton – Hythe – Fawley – Langley): Friday and Saturday nights, with departures from the city centre at about 0110 and 0310.
• Route 5 (Boyatt Wood – Eastleigh – Romsey): The schools and colleges extensions west of Romsey were removed
• Routes 13, 14, 19, 19a, 21 and 24: minor retimings to some trips.
• South Downs Rambler (Winchester – Petersfield) and Test Valley Rambler (Romsey – Andover): Sundays and bank holidays from 6 September to 1 November. The South Downs Rambler has about 6 journeys each way between 0915 and 1920. The Test Valley Rambler has 3 journeys each way between 0915 and 1730.

Unilink (Southampton)

• New timetables for the 2026/27 academic year from 13 to 14 September on the U1A and the U2. The U2 now to/from the south side of Southampton Central Station rather than Mayflower Halls.
• The U7 (Highfield – Winchester) has a revised route in Winchester to serve Erasmus Park.

Salisbury Reds

• Route 8 (Salisbury – Andover): minor retimings to some evening trips.
• X7 and X7R (Salisbury – Southampton): the extra Paultons Park stop is served until 31 October only.

morebus (Bournemouth, Poole, Purbeck and the New Forest)

Winter timetables started on 14 September.

• Purbeck Breezer 50 (Bournemouth – Sandbanks Ferry – Swanage): reduced from every 30 minutes to hourly, running from about 0645 to 1935 (previously until about 2200).
• Route 40 (Poole – Wareham – Swanage): slightly fewer journeys. Still hourly, but the last bus in one direction is now about an hour earlier.
• Route 60 (Rockley Park – Poole – Sandbanks): new route between Lilliput and Sandbanks. Most buses now run via Canford Cliffs (Compton Acres, Canford Cliffs Parade and The Circle) instead of the direct road via Evening Hill, which only a couple of journeys towards Sandbanks still use. Most journeys also now run the full length from Rockley Park through Hamworthy and Poole to Sandbanks, whereas in the summer most only ran between Poole and Sandbanks. The service drops from every 30 minutes to hourly, from about 0645 to 1810. There are no Sunday buses from 2 November.
• Route 31 (Wool – Lulworth Cove): temporary timetable from 17 August to connect with trains after the substation fire on the railway line. It now runs at weekends only, hourly from about 1015 to 1820, until 1 November.
• Finished for the season: Purbeck routes 30 and 35, the 70 coastal route (Rockley Park – Hengistbury Head – Christchurch) and the New Forest Tour (green, blue and red routes).
• Routes 3 and 4 (Poole – Wimborne): amended timetable, as the routes are no longer part-funded by BCP Council. Route 3 has later evening buses, now running until around 2245. Both routes are still every 30 minutes.
• Bournemouth University routes U1 to U4: term-time timetables from 20 to 21 September, including a new U2 from Poole (hourly on weekdays, 0810 to 1910) and a new U4 from Westbourne (hourly on weekdays).
• New YX1 (Poole – Canford Heath – Bournemouth Airport): one early-morning and one afternoon journey on weekdays, from 24 August.
• Route 125 (Ringwood – Christchurch): an extra afternoon journey. Route RG1 (Ringwood town): retimed for reliability.

Southern Vectis (Isle of Wight)

The winter timetable started on 27 September.

• Route 38 (Newport town service): more frequent, with a new route. It now runs from Sainsbury’s via Carisbrooke and the town centre to ASDA and Pan, about every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday between 0600 and 2300, and hourly on Sundays.
• Route 39 (Pan – Newport – Carisbrooke): revised route via Barton and Carisbrooke Retail Park. Hourly, from about 0940 to 1420 on weekdays.
• Route 33 (Newport – Wootton Common – Haylands – Ryde): 3 journeys each way on weekdays and 5 at weekends, roughly every 2 hours between 0930 and 1650.
• Route 2 (Newport – Ryde): winter timetable, with changes to improve reliability.
• Route 6 (Newport – Ventnor): some journeys no longer serve Blackgang, for reliability.
• Needles Breezer: reduced from every 30 minutes to hourly, from about 0955 to 1615, until 1 November.
• Finished for the season: the Island Coaster, the Downs Breezer, the Shanklin seafront bus and the Saturday-night N3.
• School routes 202, 203, 204, 206, 211 and 215: new school-day services to Carisbrooke College, Christ the King College and Ryde Academy, from 1 September.

First Wessex (Dorset)

The winter timetable started on 20 September.

• Route 4 (Weymouth – Preston): reduced from about every 20 minutes to about every 35 minutes, running from about 0720 to 1955. On Sundays it runs between about 1000 and 1600.
• Route 8 (Weymouth – Chickerell): shorter hours. The last buses now leave Weymouth at 2000 Monday to Saturday and 1620 on Sundays. Still every 30 minutes, and hourly on Sundays.
• Routes 1, 2 and 10: winter level of service. The route 2 peak frequency drops from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes.
• Route 3 (Weymouth town circular): extra journeys, now starting at about 0730.
• X51 and X53 (Weymouth – Bridport – Axminster): some evening and weekend journeys removed and running times changed. There is no longer a Sunday service on the X51. The summer X52 and the Lyme Regis LB1 have finished for the season.
• X54 (Weymouth – Lulworth – Wareham): the X50 journeys have been removed for the winter, leaving about 3 to 4 journeys a day Monday to Saturday and none on Sundays. The summer 55 Lulworth circular has also finished.
• Dorchester Road closure, Weymouth (gas main replacement): routes 2, 10 and X51 will be diverted from 25 October to 19 December, and again from 4 January to 19 March 2027. Buses will miss the stops at Lodmoor Hill, Westerhall, Lennox Street and nearby, and will run via King Street and the bus garage instead.

Smaller operators

• Xelabus: the Bitterne Hoppa shopper services (Hoppa 1, 2 and 3) were withdrawn after 28 August.
• Cresta Coaches: route 63 (Winchester – Owslebury) now serves Broad View Lane in Olivers Battery instead of Sunnydown Road.
• South West Coaches: the summer 200 at Weymouth (Haven Seaview – town centre) has finished for the season.

News

There are a few news stories that have made me open up the AI synopsis of what the reports were actually about.

Make Bus Routes Serve Our Clinics

Southampton City Council and local NHS chiefs have been looking at transport access in their consideration of neighbourhood health hubs. There are four hubs already operating with a further two planned, but the Hampshire and IoW Integrated Care Board feel that transport could be better re-organised to serve the hubs as well as introduce more health hubs in the city.

The current hubs are in Maybush, Thornhill, Portswood and Sholing.

Stagecoach En-route to an Award?

The Hampshire Chronicle is reporting that Stagecoach South are shortlisted as a finalist at the UK Bus Awards.

The company are int he running for the Top Shire Operator title after seeing the introduction of electric buses, and working with community groups to make access to bus travel more independent.

Disabled Bus Pass changes

Now, this is something I was talking about quite a few months back, or it certainly feels like it. The local press though had to fill some column inches, so they have announced again that from 1st April 2027, the Disabled National Concessionary Pass will once again be valid before 0930 on weekdays.

The Companion Pass which some disabled bus pass holders were granted, and allowed one companion to also travel (subject to conditions) will not return at the moment, as it is not something that central Government have included.

A Million Improvements in Hampshire

Hampshire County Council have approved nearly £1m of improvements to transport infrastructure.

£600,000 has been set aside for bus stations and transport hubs – including new real time information at locations such as Eastleigh and Winchester bus stations, lighting and signage improvements are also planned.

£350,000 allocated specifically for bus and rail integration and improving the connection between the two, again with signage, lighting and waiting area improvements.

Hampshire Bus Update …. updates

So under the hood there have been a few changes to some of the things that you see and I do (or rather – get to do less) that try and make things easier.

Firstly the Service Changes page which is fed from sources such as the Traffic Commissioners service registrations… when they are actually getting around to posting them, and the Bus Open Data Service.

Things like schools timetables I try to avoid getting into the feeds for a few reasons such as the fact only a small number of families use them and should get timely updates directly from schools and operators, and the fact it is a schools service and people do get a little annoyed when they attract photographers who want to photograph the bus, not the kids.

So I now have a big old “nuke the timetable into orbit” in place so a registration flagged once as a schools service will never appear on Service Changes, at least until the operator changes the service registration! I have just nuked First Wessex’s A, B and C timetables from the update process.

Less successful so far is adding custom notes to services. I had placed one for the Great South Run service PR4 to say it was for the Great South Run, which promptly disappeared when VOSA caught up with the Open Data timetable!

I am also still working through various merged timetables for services which run together.

What’s Next?

Well hopefully I am back… back. I suppose that the next thing to work on is the annual Christmas extravaganza of badly edited bus pictures in snowy Christmas scenes. As yes, that reminds me! :

Hampshire Bus Update… Updates … Updated

I have also been working on a system to fish out all the pictures of buses on my computer hard drive / Microsoft OneDrive and try to use some simple ingenuity to work out their location and things like fleet numbers and registration plates.

It is a long and laborious process, many of the photos will end up in the bin, but others will head over to the Flickr place. I would have the automation upload them directly to Flickr, but I do not do enough to justify Flickr Pro yet!

I really must also start looking at settings on my phone camera. I use a Samsung S24 Ultra, so if anyone has any tips they would be appreciated! I currently use 200Mp and usually Single Take to try and get the best results. I am far from being even amateur sometimes!

What’s Next…. next

I do need to get back out there and get some photos. It is a long hard run when I now have commitments taking me out of the loop of being able to spend my days off getting out on buses. I have a long list of projects that hit the list and never make it to the top!

I am back though! Yeah baby, yeah! or something….