It's a late start for the New Forest Tour this year, which doesn't launch until 8th July.
Due to roadworks in Salisbury there will be temporary timetables on Salisbury Reds routes X7, X7R and PR15 for several weeks. Full details here.
Southbourne Buses launch their open top route, the S12 between Bournemouth Pier and Hengistbury Head from 1st July. Timetable here.
They're joined on 30th July and 13th August only by an almost identical S12 route operated by Bear Cross Bus. Timetable here.
Back to Southbourne Buses though, and their existing routes S1 and S2 in Ringwood, which have been involved in a rather farcical kerfuffle with More's Ringo services. Southbourne have given up and will pull the plug on Ringwood from 4th August.
23rd July sees timetable changes on Stagecoach in Winchester, Portsmouth and Havant. Routes affected are the 1, 3, 5, Activ8, 20, 21, 23, 37, 39, 66 and Spring. Click the route numbers/names to see the new timetables.
Re Yellow Buses V1 & V2 - the announcement relates to all journeys on these two routes terminating at Kinson. As currently all off peak journeys terminate short at West Howe with a V1 returning as a V2and vice-versa.
ReplyDeleteV3 and V4 are routed via Wimborne Road from Winton Banks to Cemetery Junction, the press notice can be read in a number of ways and hopefully this direct (quicker) route is being retained.
No V3 and V4 disappear and the V1 V2 go through to Kinson, in fact it's pretty much a reversion to the old 5a 5b as it was before the renumbering. The R1 date change of 21 June was to provide a matching end/start date with the R2 when that was diverted due to road works. This allows the Traveline composite process to match the files when it blends the timetables. The roadworks ended early on 16 June so the dates were changed accordingly.
DeleteBear Cross buses is service 11 and also operates on 27 August.
Ken Traveline Dorset
Gotta say, Yellow Buses really are making things more confusing. We have:
ReplyDeleteA Priory Line route that doesn't go to Christchurch.
A Royal Line route that doesn't go to RBH, except for the ones that do, which don't go to Poole Quay but the ones that don't go to RBH do.
The C1 where some journeys don't go to Alum Chine on the coast but not the ones that don't go to Castlepoint which...ow my brain!
If it were up to me...
Extend the P4 to Bargates - would need probably only one extra vehicle and would make a lot more sense (OK, I don't know if this would make business sense though)
Change the Bournemouth - Poole R2 route to Dolphin Line D2 as it fits with the line naming convention better.
Make the additional C1 Bournemouth - Alum Chine journeys route C2.
I'm guessing if the Bournemouth - Poole Quay R2 was numbered D2 they would be unable to accept concessionary passes as it would be a separate route existing for only six weeks and using open tops and would therefore be considered a tourist route. By making it additional journeys on the R2 (albeit ones with completely different starting and termination points) they can just claim that the open tops are running a normal service. As you point out what a mess it's made of Yellows numbering system though!
DeleteSo who are Bear Cross Bus then?
ReplyDeletebased in Blandford Forum
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/bearcrossbus/
mainly preservation of old Yellowbus vehicles
Director Nick jackson
Thanks for the reply.
DeleteThere is confusion too in Dorchester, who will be operating the town services 1 and 2 from 24 July 2017 - DCC or Damory?
ReplyDeleteDamory running the existing times between 0930 and 1430 on Monday to Friday. No Saturday service. Damory are also running the 20 (revised)to Salisbury. The Poundbury service 6 is unchanged. Ken Traveline Dorset
DeleteThe changes to Stagecoach's 66 from Romsey, to run off peak five minutes before, rather than after, Wheeler's W1 could endanger the latter which are never well loaded. But the W1 service to Southampton appears to be doing reasonably well.
ReplyDeleteSalisbury roadworks have been cancelled a believed, or changed so the X7 and P&R aren't affected at least
ReplyDeleteWilts & Dorset could do a lot more with the New Forest. The Forest Bus Baby service should be re-introduced, running hourly seven days a week, at least just during the six week school summer holidays. Likewise, the Bluestar 6 service needs a proper tidy up, as the buses running it are in a tatty state. I'd repaint the Scanias (1015/18) into full Bluestar livery, and brand them up in a similar style to the 1's. There is a lot of potential in the New Forest, even if it's just for the six weeks, but no one seems to be bothered.
ReplyDeleteThe Forest Bus baby was heavily subsidised by the NPA in its only year of operation. Being mainly filled with concession pass holders was not a problem with the subsidy, but once the subsidy was withdrawn, it made no financial sense. It was also stealing valuable trade from the open top tour buses, which again made no financial sense. Similarly, the 6, which was badged as the Forest Bus for one season, was subsidised. Again once the subsidy dried up, there was little appetite from the operator to spend money on its most complained about route! The delays that the 6 encounters during the summer are ridiculous and unavoidable. The tour buses are routed to avoid the worst of the congestion, and represent the best way for the public and holidaymakers, to see the very best that the forest has to offer. Watch out for possible changes to the 6 running stock, if, as is rumoured, Lymington depot ceases to exist in its present form, with the recently announced loss of a major college contract. All Scanias will have to be gone within about 18 months anyway, as they will not comply with Southampton's clean air act, so slim chance of money being spent on them!
DeleteThanks for the info about the Forest Bus Baby service. Will be an interesting few months ahead across Go South Coast, with the loss of Brockenhurst College & major changes at Damory - both resulting in a reduction of vehicles & drivers required to fulfil PVR. I wonder what will replace the Scanias at Lymington though, as the Clean Air Act could be fussy with buses having to be no older than say seven years or something...
DeleteThe Brockenhurst College website confirms that First Group has the colleges contract for 2017/2018 and that there are concessions with Yellow Buses etc.
ReplyDeleteThat's a kick in the teeth for go ahead by the sounds of it. Leaves a lot of questions open regarding local bus services in the area
ReplyDeleteWell I went to Ringwood today and there was no sign of Southbourne. I was stood bus spotting at Meeting House Lane for an hour, in which time they should have been round twice (the Ringo had been), but nothing. There is no mention of them on their website either. Surely, they can't have ceased operating them early, seeing as Mr. Guard was so offended when a Morebus driver dared to pick up a passenger at Meeting House Lane when off service!
ReplyDeleteYes the service has ceased due to an inability to get anybody to drive it. The Primo was being used on the Bournemouth to Hengistbury Head service last Saturday.
DeleteThey have quietly ceased the S1/S2 operating illegally, I would encourage you to report them to VSA.
DeleteSuch a disappointing end to what could have been a successful independent service (if there wasn't the childish politics from both parties)
DeleteWe can confirm that services s1 and s2 have been withdrawn. Notices were placed at stops along the routes and on social media so that customers were made aware of this. We have offered to cover reimbersment to customers left out of pocket by our decision (see our post on Facebook). Despite extensive efforts we have been unable to recruit staff locally, or from a local agency. (If we had used agency drivers they would have come from out of area and required hotel accommodation for the duration of the stay with a total cost of around £200 per day accomodation and agency fee this was just not viable for us.
DeleteOur plaxton primo was used on the first weekend of service s12 to cover vehicle availability issues and a charter vehicle was used the following weekend.
Mainline421 thank you for your comments the vsa? I think you mean dvsa are already aware and I'm aware that what we have done is wrong and there will be consequences to face, what choice did I have run an unreliable intermittent service when drivers are available that passengers couldn't rely on or no service at all!! From what I have found out about you so far I see you have connections to Wickham and Go South Coast, rest assured it is only a matter of time before I find out who you are!!!
Simon Gard
Southbourne Buses
And you call yourself a professional businessman?! Yeah right. That is no way to talk to the public, regardless of any "connection" they may have to another bus operator. If you want to see how to professionally respond to comments on this blog, just look at Phil Stockley (ex-MD of Black Velvet of Eastleigh) or the Blair's of Xelabus of Eastleigh. Threatening people is no way to run any type of business, and you could lose a lot of business from talking to people like this. No wonder you had a driver shortage, you probably treat your staff like dirt.
DeleteI’d been warned that the Sunday service on Southbourne Buses S12 had already ceased running, so I wasn’t surprised that there was no sign of it. The crew of the 11 told me that they hadn’t seen it on any of their operating days; does anyone have an LDO for it? And does anyone know if the Saturday service is still running? All reference to it has gone from the website, on which the only bus service shown is the new S38 that starts on 4th September
DeleteSouthbourne Buses put a message on their Facebook page last Thursday saying "S12 - last weekend this weekend, closed top single deck bus will be used. we are experiencing some difficulties with our website and the s12 timetables are not currently showing but can be downloaded from traveline. This service will not be returning next year, thank you for your custom over the summer season." so apparantly they seemed to think that the S12 was still running even if no-one else did. As most people regard the weekend as Saturday and Sunday, and as I couldn't make it on Saturday (and the weather was going to be rubbish anyway) I went down to Bournemouth on Sunday. Nope, no sign of it. Had they said that it wasn't going to be running I could have found plenty of other things to do.
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