While many people are grabbing their trees, lights and angels; transport planners around the country are finalising their Christmas schedules. So if you are travelling out and about on Stagecoach South this festive season, frankly you should expect the same levels of service as last year.
Firstly though, a nod towards a far better blogger. If you are planning to travel by train this year, then book now. BusAndTrainUser blogs very regularly on travel matters and this week, he tried to book some train tickets for Christmas week. Read about it here on his blog.
As usual, every operator does Christmas slightly differently. You can already see what First Hampshire is doing, and I have GoAhead ready to write.
If you are out Christmas shopping during December, please consider travelling by bus. It really could be a case of use it or lose it. This brings me to a pre-season December timetable change….
December: Winchester Park and Ride
From the end of lockdown on Thursday 3rd December, Stagecoach are going to be increasing the Winchester Park and Ride service for the December shopping rush.
Weekdays: Buses run at least every 10 Minutes from all the usual car parks
Saturdays: Buses run at least every 7 Minutes from all the usual car parks
Sundays: A Special service will run from the East car parks only. This will run every 5 minutes and the timetable is here.
Also, following work around Barfield Car Park, new bus stops will be in use from the same day. These are on Barfield Close, just outside the car park. This also coincides with new parking spaces provided on the old Coventry House site.
If Lockdown does indeed end Thursday morning, I may have to take a wander,
Up to Wednesday 23rd December – Saturday-ish Service
Normal Sunday services are running on Sunday 20th December, including the special Park & Ride service for Winchester East Car Parks.
From Monday though, across most of the Stagecoach South area, timetables will be running to a Saturday service. As with a Saturday service though, this would cause a number of issues where routes do not run, or run to a very reduced timetable.
Andover: A weekday service operates on:
* Route 5 (Monxton MOD, Grateley and Thruxton)
* Route 7 & 7A (Highclere, Greenham & Newbury)
* Routes 66 & 67 (Tidworth & Laverstock to Salisbury)
* Routes C5, C6 & C8 – The additional Tuesday and Thursday buses will still run on Tuesday’s and Thursdays
Basingstoke:
* Route 16 (Steventon) & Route 22 (Sherbourne) will run on their usual days
* Special services run on Route 9 (Alton) and Route 13 (between Whitehill & Haslemere)
Portsmouth:
* Hoverbus runs to a weekday timetable
* Route 38 (Petersfield to Alton) will run to a School Holiday weekday timetable
Winchester: A weekday service operates on:
* Routes 46 & 461 (North Baddesley)
* Route 95 (East Stratton) on it’s usual Mondays and Thursdays
* Route 240 (Ropley to Alresford) on it’s usual Mondays and Thursdays
* Winchester Park & Ride
Christmas Eve
Services are running to the same Saturday timetable, and with the same alterations as above.
Services are going to close down earlier than usual though and that means there will be no buses after approximately 9pm.
Most town services will have their last departures from towns between 8pm and 9pm, but longer distance services will be earlier. For example the last 76 from Andover to Basingstoke will be at 19:50 (7.50pm) and the last 64 out of Winchester is at 19:20 (7.20pm)
If you are travelling on Christmas Eve Evening. Check the Christmas Page
Christmas Day – Ho, Ho, No Service
Boxing Day to Monday 28th December- Sunday Service
Stagecoach South are running a Boxing Day service across all of its routes for all three days. This is because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the Bank Holiday happens on Monday 28th.
The only exception to this is that the Portsmouth Hoverbus will not run Boxing Day. This is because there are no flights on the Hovercraft running.
Tuesday 29th to New Years Eve – Saturday+ Service
As with the pre-Christmas service, the three days leading up to 2021 are running with the same Saturday service, with the same extras above.
The only exception to this rule of thumb though, is that the Winchester Park & Ride will revert back to a Saturday service, rather than the weekday one.
It’s nice and consistent, for the sake of three days.
As with Christmas Eve, the New Years Eve service will shut down around 9pm. If you are out partying on New Years Eve evening, Check the Christmas Page.
New Years Day – No Service
Saturday 2nd January
A full and normal Saturday timetable will operate and the normal timetable resumes across all of the Stagecoach depots, including schools services from Monday 4th where appropriate.
…. and finally – a reminder
It is the festive season. It is a different festive season this year for obvious reasons, but whatever you are planning, whichever bubbles you are forming and however much coal Santa brings:
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