An important point of order: Have I really got no up to date pictures from Southampton? The featured image was from march last year!
Hot on the heels of our post about changes at First Solent, we come with more news of service changes that are happening in Southampton during February. This time around it is the turn of Go South Coast as Bluestar are making changes to some of their commercial network as well as introducing – what I am assuming – is a new workers service across the city.
If you have not already seen and you are looking for bus information across Weston, Sholing and Bursledon; First Solent are making changes to their X4 and X5 services and more information is found in this post from yesterday. It’s a pretty significant change if you are Southampton bound in the morning rush hour!
As always, because people do like to remind me, until it is official on the Bluestar bus website then things can change. The fact that these service changes are already pushed out to the third-party journey planning websites is apparently neither here nor there.
But First – It’s Not the National Emergency Government Alert …. thing
Bluestar recently introduced a new “push alert” service for it’s smartphone apps. It was introduced a few weeks ago on Monday 13th January and I was not really going to highlight it. Might as well though, as this post is here and you are reading!
Once you opt in via the app, you will get notifications pushed to your phone for services that you have “favourite” check for in the app. I know I get enough push notifications already from X, Facebook, GMail and the Government National Emergency Service…. So personally, I am out!
More information about the service and instructions on how to set it up are on the Bluestar website. The same works for the rest of the Go South Coast brands (Southern Vectis, morebus and Damory, Reds) but I am not about to check all the Go Ahead areas!
Zoom to the Zoo on Z00
Yeah, I was tempted to insert a reference to animal bowel movements but could not really make it work.
From 15th February Bluestar are re-starting the Z00 service to Marwell for the seasonal shuttle. Since taking on the route from First and Southampton Mini Link (!) they have settled into the routine of running from Eastleigh Bus and Railway Stations, via Fair Oak to the Wildlife Park.
A quick look on the Marwell Wildlife website suggests that they have not updated it in a while, because they still suggest that the Xelabus X9 service still runs…. so take the next bit with a potential pinch of salt and it may change:
If you travel to Marwell Wildlife using the Z00 or Stagecoach 69 bus services then an entry ticket on the gate is reduced to just £11.
Found hidden deep on the Marwell Zoo website, here.
I have contacted Marwell Zoo to see if this is still the case. Well, I have not done so as I typed this, but I will in a minute and this is a reminder for me. If you are still seeing this then they have not replied yet!
Hourly Service
From Saturday 15th Feb: The first service of the day will be 1010 from Eastleigh Bus Station and run hourly until 1310, then 1430 until 1630. The last return trip from the wildlife park will be 1705.
This is the Hampshire school half-term holiday and the current timetable data shows that it is only running until the 23rd February. That would suggest the service will then not run until Easter… which makes sense.
Changes to cross-city services
There are changes taking place to a number of the Southampton city bus services on Sunday 23rd February (alongside the First Solent changes to the Solent Rangers on the same day) and some are more significant than others.
Minor changes: 17 Weston – City – General Hospital – Adanac Park
There appears to be minor changes to most timetable for this cross-city service on weekdays which I think is just because of traffic conditions and a reaction to more detailed data. The three West Quay to Weston short trips at 0643, 0703 and 0721 appear to be withdrawn, but their return trips from Weston still run… my assumption is that they will run dead from the depot at Empress Road, or come from another route.
Minor changes 18: Millbrook – City – Thornhill
Likewise there are very minor changes to the service which involve running times. Although the service will still run approximately every 10 minutes, it does vary from now.
19 (& NEW 19a): Thornhill – City – Lordshill
Bluestar are going to run nearly half of all service 19 trips as a new service 19a. This means that between the City Centre and Shirley the Monday to Saturday service will lose half it’s trips and on Sundays it will lose one in three.
The route of the new 19a will re-introduce a service to long forgotten parts of the Southampton Citybus network. This I think was the change that Southampton City Council were tendering for in August 2024 but were then deemed as “not really commercially viable“.
The 19a will run from Central Station, up the full length of Hill Lane (well, to the Winchester Road Roundabout) alongside Bluestar 21, then Winchester Road and Dale Road alongside the UniLink U6 service. The timetable will run:
| Service 19 via Shirley | Service 19a via Hill Lane | Thornhill to City & General Hospital to Lordshill | |
| Monday to Saturday | Every 30 Minutes daytime Hourly evenings | Every 30 Minutes daytime Hourly evenings | 4 buses an hour daytime 2 buses an hour evening |
| Sunday & Bank Hol Daytime | 2 Buses an hour, with a 20 minute and 40 minute gap | Hourly | Every 20 minutes |
| Sunday & Bank Hol Evening | Every 2 Hours | Every 2 Hours | Hourly |
To be honest – There are plenty of buses that run via Shirley so the change will not affect as many people as “bus service slashed in half” would suggest. Even taking into account the throughput from Central Station to the General Hospital (as many people probably train to the city for specialist appointments) the impact will probably be minimal.
NEW: Service 61
Important: This service may operate as a closed-door, private contract. I have reached out to Bluestar to confirm and if this message is still here then I have not seen an answer yet. has been confirmed by Bluestar as being a workers service, but accessible by the public.
What appears to be a new service for Nursling Industrial Estate, service 61 has appeared as another change for 23rd February. Looking at the route and timetable, it is a shift-worker service aligned with a 6am, 2pm and 10pm shift rotation.
The bus route is Bevois Valley, City & Central Station, Shirley Road, Brownhill Way and to the Tesco Warehouse in Nursling. I think those of you interested in it will be for pictures rather than for travelling. So to that end, I have also asked Bluestar what capacity they are planning for, but unfortunately they did not answer this bit.
I know – some of you are disappointed
With the industrial action at First Solent and the changes upcoming to their Solent Rangers, the aspirations of some to have a new Bluestar Southampton to Fareham (or Gosport, or Portsmouth) service does occasionally reach the daylight.
Not this time friends.
A Bluestar 72 and Bluestar 78 (for those of an independent bus company age) would be interesting though…. just saying.
A Bluestar 26 like the old Solent Blue Line 26 would be good. Just divert it through Whiteley instead of everywhere in Segensworth
I used to drive the Solent Blue Line 26.
It’s good to see a service crossing the M271, I’ve often sat in traffic on the M271 and noticed the number of people walking across the junction above me and thought that they wouldn’t be making that walk for pleasure.
I hope that the service is sufficiently well used to demand an even better service and maybe even extend to Totton and beyond. I know crazy dreams.
I have alerts set up on my phone for the 8 & 9.
The reliability strikes me as disappointing.
The introduction of the 19a is a positive move IMO – there has been no bus directly down Hill Lane for years. I am somewhat biased though as I live in the area. There are arguably plenty of buses through Shirley as it is with the 17 and 18, so diverting half of the 19 journeys away from Shirley brings more benefits than disadvantages.
I wonder if the 61 numbering is related to the old Hants and Dorset numbers of buses towards Romsey? Before my time (the earliest I remember is the Solent Blue Line 18) but ISTR reading that the sixties were formally used for the Southampton-Romsey corridor back in NBC days.
With the changes on the 18 I wonder whether that quirky working which currently does a few trips on the 20 in the morning, then a single 10 at 1313, before moving onto the 18 in the afternoon will disappear?
Sorry, answering my own question I see the times for after the 23rd are now available on bustimes, and that extra 18 journey starting at the City Centre is still there.
The 61 did used to go to Nursling-so perhaps you`re right,with the 63 being the old route to Romsey and i think the 62 went to Scragg Hill,but someone can correct me,if i`m wrong there.
Master stroke from Blue Star, they have taken a subsidy from the local authority to run a bus via Hill Lane, reduced the frequency of the 19 by a third to every 15 minutes and diverted every other journey via Hill Lane. In other words getting paid a substantial sum to run less vehicles. Nice on for the shareholders!
Ummm…..the 19 is every 15 minutes Mon-Sat at the moment so the frequency hasn’t been reduced by a third! I presume you’re the same person that posted this false information on the Daily Echo comments section…..
If I remember correctly the City Red 3 was every 10 minutes and then the BS19 went every 15 minutes from day 1.
Must admit, not looked at the Daily Echo yet!
Or they have worked in partnership with the local authority to identify the best possible level of service for Hill Lane within the budget available.
The city council tendered for an hourly Monday to Saturday daytime only service. What they appear to have got is a service running up to half hourly and from early morning until late evening seven days a week.
60 Soton to Romsey via Testwood & Ower
61 Soton to Romsey via Nursling
61A Soton to Upton Crescent ran via Hillyfields
62 Soton to Romsey via Chilworth
62A Soton to Scragg Hill via Chilworth, Rownmams Rd / Rownham Lane
63 Soton to romsey via Horns Drove and Rownhams Lane