With the 56 day registration period now firmly back in the seat, we are starting to see changes far ahead of what they have been during the pandemic. With that in mind, First Solent have already started to lodge service changes with VOSA for November.
October
There are October changes to discuss first though.
We already reported that the F1, F2 and F3 were all going to be cancelled from 16th October. The F1 and the F2 then got a reprieve, and then the F1 got an additional peak service.
Well there is also:
Timetable Change: The Star 7 – Portsmouth City Centre to Cosham, Waterlooville and Wecock Farm
Timetable Change: The Star 8 – Gunwharf Quays to Cosham, Waterlooville and Clanfield
Timetable Change: Solent Ranger X4 – Gunwharf Quays to Fareham, Locks Heath and Southampton
Timetable Change: Solent Ranger X5 – Gosport to Stubbington, Fareham and Southampton (Thanks Reece)
November
The November service change appears to be taking place on Sunday 6th November. Obviously so far out this means that the details are hazy, but the devil is sometimes in the registration detail.
Portsmouth
Services 13 and 14 are listed as having both a route and timetable variation. I am suspicious, from the VOSA registration that this service will no longer run between Gunwharf Quays / The Hard Interchange and Commercial Road South.
Service 1 is getting a timetable variation to “confirm the post-COVID timetable” which I assume also will eventually include a change to service 3(?) – This might be significant in that the 9 is also getting the same treatment… and is also getting new buses soon.
Gosport
Services 9 and 9A are apparently recipients of a timetable change. Apparently it was registered on 31st August, but I missed it in the daily VOSA roundup UPDATED: It was published at VOSA on 22nd September, hence why I had not seen it. Reference was made to a road closure in Rowner until “1 April 2019” and to confirm post-COVID timetable. It does not… however… say “return to pre-COVID timetable” which would be nice considering it is meant to be getting new electric buses.
X4 and X5 also being changed I October
Later evening journeys from Southampton to fareham and gosport would be nice back in the day of old the 80 to fareham and 72 to gosport the last bus would be around 10pm
You can’t get a bus from fareham to Southampton after 5:30pm and the last bus from fareham to Southampton is around 6:45pm
The lack of start of the morning buses (7 to 8am) to Fareham from the Southampton direction is somewhat crazy too. Last buses leaving around 430/5pm from Fareham to Park Gate. No wonder people use a car! And that 40 min frequency is just so aaaaargh! Unless you are on a common section of route for both of X4 & X5 you’ll never remember which hour is which.
13/14 Hasn’t ran between The Hard and City Centre/Shops South for a number of years.
Well I thought that, then checked the network map and it says it does.
Maybe it is merely formalising the change or something.
Would it not make sense to wait for the details to be confirmed (or ask the bus company if they will tell you?), rather than making speculative guesses. You don’t know what’s changing, it could just be one journey that is retimed!