Bluestar have unveiled the six new routes they will be introducing to replace First City Red, which closes down in February. Timetables are not yet available, but they have given an indication of expected service levels on the new routes, which will launch on 19th February 2023:
Unsurprisingly, there is no replacement for City Red 1 or 2. Bluestar 12 already goes to Calmore, Bluestar 17 to Weston and Bluestar 18 to Millbrook, so everyone on those routes is already covered.
City Red 3 is replaced by Bluestar 19, which will run every 20 minutes weekday daytimes, down from every 10 minutes currently on the 3. There is also a slight route change: Warren Avenue is already served by Bluestar 17, so the 19 will go via Maybush Corner:
City Red 7 to Townhill Park via Portswood is replaced by Bluestar 20 at about the same frequency.
City Red 8 to Hedge End becomes Bluestar 14 and the recent extension to the General Hospital is cut. Passengers for the General will need to change in the city centre to routes 17 or 19.
City Red 9 to Sholing via Peartree becomes Bluestar 10.
City Red 13 to Harefield via Merry Oak becomes Bluestar 13 and the weekday daytime frequency will double from once to twice an hour.
In other news...
- Stagecoach will have Santa driving on many of their routes in and around Winchester in the run up to Christmas. Find out when to catch him on your local route here. He'll even be making it out as far as Eastleigh on the E1/E2, Romsey on the 66 and Fareham on the 69.
- Salisbury Reds are running special service 333 to Stonehenge for the Winter Solstice.
- Xelabus have a couple of changes from 3rd January. The X4 is being split in two at Eastleigh, with separate service X4A taking over the Velmore section. The X21 Chilworth service is cut from three return journeys each weekday to two.
- First Wessex launches new routes 9/9A between Weymouth and Wyke Regis from Monday 9th January 2023.
Christmas & New Year service levels:
- Bluestar
- First City Red
- First Solent
- First Wessex
- More
- Salisbury Reds
- Southern Vectis
- Stagecoach Portsmouth
- Stagecoach Winchester
- Unibus
- Unilink
- Xelabus
Very little change to be honest,with better frequency for Harefield and less buses clogging up Warren Ave.
ReplyDeleteDoing now a bit of a bus manager simulator:
ReplyDeleteI think Bluestar needs to do a bit of renumbering on all their routes.
It is such a mess at the moment: you have single digit services (e.g. 7) doing cross-city services, you have double digits going out of town (e.g. 15)...
I would propose in the long term to renumber all the services by doing the following:
1. Weston - City Centre - Adanac Park (current 17)
2. Thornhill - City Centre - Millbrook (current 18)
3. Thornhill - City Centre - Lordshill (current 19)
4. Sholing - City Centre - Lordshill (current 7)
5. Sholing - Bitterne - City Centre (currrent 10)
6. Townhill Park - Bitterne - City Centre (current 16)
7. Townhill Park - Portswood - City Centre (current 20)
8. Harefield - City Centre (current 13)
9. Hamble - City Centre (current 15)
10. Hedge End Station - City Centre (current 14)
11. Southampton - Winchester (current 1)
12. Southampton - Fair Oak (current 2)
13. Southampton - Hedge End - Eastleigh (current 3)
14. Southampton - Romsey (current 4)
15. Boyatt Wood - Eastleigh - Romsey (current 5)
16. Southampton - Lymington (current 6)
17. Southampton - West Totton (current 11)
18. Southampton - Calmore (current 12)
19. Southampton - Langley/Fawley (current 9)
20. Southampton - Hythe (current 8)
Of course GSC knows the area better than I do and think that the operations are good as they are.
One thing for sure: in the long term Bitterne needs a direct connection to the SGH so an extension of the current 16
might be considered for 2023 (maybe in September, once the new routes are stabilised).
(here is just an enthusiast giving his point of view, while understanding nothing of bus operations)
🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴
DeleteThe one thing that Blue star know for sure, is that stability is one of their greatest assets. Customers hate change, so don't expect renumbering anytime soon!
DeleteBluestar must be raking it in at the moment due to the train strikes-never seen BS1 so busy in the evenings.
ReplyDeleteHythe Ferry to cease operating on New Years Eve
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23206246.blue-funnel-says-hythe-ferry-will-cease-operating-new-years-eve/
Does anyone know what is happening regarding the future of the X9 and X10 routes to Bishops Waltham?
ReplyDeleteBy checking DVSA website, nothing is happening with the X9 and X10 for now.
DeleteThere are rumours that the service will stop in March. I think Xelabus need to give 62 days notice for any changes, so maybe in January we’ll have a clearer picture.
Regarding GSC, I was unable to see the registration of the 6 new routes in Southampton. Maybe I need to search further…