Bluestar have released the timetables for their six new routes that will be replacing First City Red from Sunday 19th February. The 7 also gains some new evening journeys to Sholing.
- The last 7 from town to Sholing is currently at 1945 Mon-Sats. New journeys will run at 2045 and 2245.
- Bluestar 10 replaces First City Red 9, with only minor changes to times.
- Bluestar 13 replaces First City Red 13. The Mon-Sat daytime frequency is doubled to half-hourly, plus evening and Sunday services, axed long ago by First, are introduced.
- Bluestar 14 replaces the Eastern half of First City Red 8. Buses will generally start running earlier and run until later in the evening. The current last bus from town to Hedge End is at 1930 Mon-Sats - Bluestar will run an additional journey at 2130.
- Bluestar 15 replaces First City Red 6. Minor changes to times include a later last bus on Saturdays, leaving town at 2110, instead of 1950 currently.
- Bluestar 19 replaces First City Red 3. Daytime frequencies are reduced from every 10 to 15 minutes weekdays, from every 12 to 20 mins Saturdays, and from every 20 to 30 mins Sundays. Don't forget the route change to serve Maybush Corner instead of Warren Avenue.
- Bluestar 20 replaces First City Red 7. The Sunday daytime frequency is reduced from three to two buses an hour. The last bus from town, currently at 2243, will be later at 0005, seven days a week.
- There also appear to be some minor changes to existing routes 17 and 18.
Stagecoach 66 has disruption between Winchester and Romsey for the next couple of nights, due to a road closure in Ampfield. The length of the diversion means some journeys are cut, so check this emergency timetable before travelling.
The Blandford Forum to Shaftesbury service, currently South West Coaches X3, transfers to Go Ahead's Damory Coaches from Monday 30th January and is renumbered as route 7. Timetable yet to be confirmed.
First Solent have some timetable changes from Sunday 12th February on routes 20, 21 and 27. The 21 and 27 are reduced to only running off-peak weekday daytimes, with the Saturday service withdrawn. The current last bus on the 20 is cancelled, meaning the last bus will leave Fareham at 1635 weekdays.
Xelabus have announced that their Yellow Coaches subsidiary will withdraw all services in the Bournemouth area, including routes 18, 33 and 36, from Tuesday 14th February, when their temporary contract with BCP Council expires. It is widely expected that More, as the only remaining operator in the area, will pick those routes up, but that is yet to be confirmed.
Xelabus are commemorating First leaving Southampton by running a free vintage bus on some of Citybus's historic routes on First's final day, Saturday 18th February.
First Wessex's seasonal routes in Weymouth start resuming on Wednesday 1st March with Sunseeker 12 to Littlesea. Sunseeker 13 to Waterside starts on Friday 17th March.
Southern Vectis's seasonal Needles Breezer service has been registered to resume on Saturday 4th March.
Sunday 5th March sees changes to First Solent routes 7 and 9/9A. Details to be confirmed.
First Solent will be running the Southsea Coaster 50 tourist service from Sunday 28th May between The Hard and South Parade Pier. Timetable to be confirmed.
Harefield residents had better make use of the evening and Sunday services,or face losing them once again.
ReplyDeleteSimon Gard was going to do evening buses until his ILL health sadly took effect
DeleteSo ill that he is now working permanently at Xelabus
DeleteThat should guarantee the end of Xelabus!
DeleteIf hes helping out for xelabus that can't be a good thing if hire drivers are needed all the time
DeleteSo every Saturday,you`ll have the BS7 and BS15 leaving Wright`s Hill at exactly the same time and following each other to town via Woolston-very poor planning.
ReplyDeleteMaybe these are just 'bedding in' or 'emergency' timetables and once they've been running a while and the vehicle situation is sorted out, they'll tweak it to improve spacing.
DeleteThey do far too much of this. Evening 17s and 18s through Shirley within a few minutes of each other towards town, and then nothing for 25 minutes, is another example. So easy to fix. 6 from Totton badly spaced with 8 too.
ReplyDeleteWouldn`t get this with Southern Vectis,as they space all their buses out well.
DeleteLooks like the 17 is at 10 and 40 and the 18 is 25 and 55 going out of town so i guess they cant do it both ways and instead focus on coming out of town which is the direct most people are travelling in
DeleteExtending the evening 17 to nursling would solve the issue
Or they could just wait at the termini for longer to ensure good spacing both directions. I do seem to remember CityBus was good at spacing back in the day (early 90s), if I remember right the 11/13 (Bassett Green) and 3A/14 (Townhill Park) were both on a 10 min headway and combined to produce an even interval 5 min service to Portswood.
DeleteWaiting longer at the terminal wouldn't work as the 17 only has one proper terminal. Other end is a loop. The amount of time at the terminal of a route like that is simply a result of how long a whole round trip takes and the fact there are 60 minutes in an hour.
DeleteI note that the 10 takes just over an hour out and back (as I would expect). This will therefore need to interwork with something else. Moving forward, I wonder if they will try any more innovative service patterns? For example if the 10 was half-hourly it could then link with the 7 to provide a Sholing circular. Also it would maybe be possible to do something with the 16 and 20 to form a Portswood-Bitterne link, and if the 3 was increased to half-hourly as far as Hedge End, one service per hour could go to the station and then continue on as the 14 (one of the two 14s per hour) to form a Hedge End circular service.
ReplyDeleteIf Xelabus go under, it might be worth looking at linking the 10 with a GSC takeover of the X11 route to provide a cross-city Sholing - Bitterne - City - Hill Lane - General Hospital - Lordswood service
DeleteWhy does Sholing need 2 cross services to the Hospital?
DeleteIt is easier to reroute Bluestar 4…
It would only be 3 buses per hour. You might as well argue why Lordshill needs 14 buses per hour to Woolston.
DeleteI think there's definitely a gap in the Hill Lane / St James' Road area. Remember at one point (early 00s?) both routes had a 20-min interval frequency!
DeleteWoolston have loads of cross city buses to the hospital, but there’s none at all from Bitterne. I would consider extending the 13 from Harefield to the Hospital via Hill Lane. Gives Hill Lane a semi-decent service of 2 buses an hour and an evening service, and links Bitterne to the Hospital. Leave it for a good few months as a trial and see if the market grows. At its current frequency of 1 bus an hour on Hill Lane there’s no incentive to get people away from cars so the market will never grow. Even a couple of morning extensions if not a full service for Taunton’s College students. The old 5A was packed by the time it got to Bitterne.
DeleteYou make an excellent point about Bitterne needing a service to the hospital. Now there is no competition along Shirley, a service along Hill Lane has to be a good idea, and would be a quicker route to the City, for those that need it.
DeleteIt will be very interesting to follow eventual adjustments to running times once the services are out for some time.
ReplyDeleteFor now I think it is a hell of a job to take services from another operator.
Give them some time, and whatever flaws they may encounter will be taken care of.
We are enthusiasts and not bus managers...
As well as Xelabus commemorating First’s departure, there’s also a day being run by the volunteers of Southampton and District Transport Heritage Trust on Sunday 19th February.
ReplyDeleteWhen Bluestar Operate the new routes on the 19th February 2023 the drivers that move to First Bus from Bluestar will not drive any of the routes as they will start on the 20th February 2023
ReplyDeleteIf they move to First from Blue star, there will be no bus to drive, irrespective of the date!
DeleteWhy will there be no bus to drive?
DeleteI meant to say first to bluestar.
DeletePlease be kinds to others posting on here anon 20th January 2023 at 09.24
ReplyDeleteSome posters on here have Disabilities
Sorry for any offence.
DeleteFour weeks today and Southampton can start enjoying a decent blue bus service in areas let down by the reds.
ReplyDeleteTen less buses in each direction through Shirley High St on Weekday daytimes and six less on Sunday daytimes-traffic should be held up less though.
DeleteThe monopolistic approach begins!
DeleteOr you could say that it's a magnificent common sense approach to offer a great service through Shirley! Hold ups may actually be slightly worse, as the removal of the bus lay byes was a deliberate action, to regulate traffic, allowing gaps for vehicle turns to and from side roads.
Deletehttps://bustimes.org/registrations/PH1098723/85
ReplyDeleteBreaking news: the X10 is cancelled from April. Will we see an extension of Bluestar 14 to Bishops Waltham?
The enthusiast in me would rather see the 28/28a extended than the B*14
DeleteExcept that the 28/28A goes nowhere near the current X10 route
DeleteX9 also to be withdrawn
DeleteThat is why I said extended, rather than diverted.
DeleteRun all the existing Curbridge terminating services to Botley Station, Bishops Waltham, Durley and down to Hedge End superstores (and/or station)
or even the other way around via Botley, Hedge End, Denhams Corner, Bishops Waltham.
It provides a connection to largely commercial services into Southampton and re-establishes a few lost links.
Probably better though to have something from Southampton extended to Bishops Waltham (i.e. some journeys on the 14) as it's the Southampton-Bishops Waltham link which is going. Hedge End station isn't too far from Durley so you can run that way (Horton Heath is now on the 3 route so doesn't need to be served, presumably).
DeleteI’d rather see the 14 extended to Hedge End village though
DeleteI personally have a better idea for the Bishop’s Waltham Xelabus routes. They could be amalgamated with the X4 to provide a combined hourly Eastleigh - BW service via alternating routes: Let’s call them the B1 and B2
ReplyDelete- Route B1 (every 2 hours): Eastleigh - Airport - Mansbridge - West End - Moorgreen - Hedge End Station - Horton Heath - Durley - Bishop’s Waltham
- Route B2 (every 2 hours): Eastleigh - Airport - Mansbridge - West End - Hedge End Superstores - Hedge End Village - Botley - Curdridge - Waltham Chase - Swanmore - Bishop’s Waltham
Back to news
ReplyDeleteX9 & X10 service changes
Owing to the contract coming to a natural end, we would like to make customers aware that the services X9 and X10 are due to finish operating with Xelabus Limited on Friday 31st March 2023.
The Hampshire County Council funded services have been operated by Xelabus since 2015 under contract to HCC. The council will be retendering the services to operators in the local area.
Should you have any queries regarding the services, please contact Hampshire County Council.
We would like to thank all our customers for their custom over the last eight years.
What a very interesting statement. They are keen to show that the contract is coming to a "natural" end, and make it very clear that they will not be tendering for it's replacement. I wonder why? Also, there are only two operators left, with suitable vehicles, who could take it.
DeleteWho are they I wonder? Bluestar and First Solent?
DeleteStagecoach.?
DeleteWe have operated these services since we took over Brijan in 2015. They were only supposed to be for 4 years but extended year on year after. Now in its 8th year of operating. Sadly the year on year extensions have not kept up with the year on year levels of inflation and as such we have handed back to HCC but will of course be retendering.
ReplyDeleteGareth Blair
About X9 and X10
The 28/28A has a few odd trips extended to Botley station from Whiteley. A strange arrangement but it could fit in well with x9/x10 being revised & retendered to offer other possibilities on Fareham - Whiteley - Botley - Eastleigh (say)
ReplyDeleteMorebus to take over running of Xelabus routes 18, 33 and 36 from Wednesday 15th February
ReplyDeleteBluestar have posted that the paper timetables for the new routes are now available from the travel shop at the Bargate.
ReplyDeleteI shall stick to phone downloads for timetables
DeleteI think that this move will appeal to many in the baby boomer generation. I count myself in this group, and much prefer a paper copy to keep and refer to, rather than worry about the faf of downloading an internet version. Southern Vectis offer the paper versions, mainly for tourists, so why not all along the South Coast too?
DeleteBluestar`s paper timetable leaflets are small and easy to fit in pockets.
DeleteWell known fact booklets are allways better then leaflets.
DeleteIn todays world new people using the bus will tend to use a digital method for information gathering. Ok not saying leaflets are a bad thing, but they do have a limited lifespan.
DeleteFrom a user perspective, online timetables are hidden away, meaning that you will only look at them when you make an active decision to catch a bus. Conversely, a paper timetable which sits there staring at you, nags away, urging you and prompting you to take the bus. It's odd that GSC uses different techniques in different area's.
DeleteFirst bus have purchased Ensign Bus
ReplyDeletePull out of Southampton,yet strengthen in Essex. Seems like they suddenly have a no-nonsense leader, at last!
DeleteBut Essex is in more of a mess than Southampton and other places. Look at the accounts.
DeleteDoes anyone know where the empress road fleet will move to after the 18th February?
ReplyDeleteBlue Star Takeover
ReplyDeleteThis should prove very profitable for BS. They require 24 buses to replace the 39 used by First. They save 2 on route 1, 12 on route 2, (both already served by BS), 2 on reduced route 3, and use 1 extra bus on route 13.
I assume most revenue is taken on the Millbrook routes which saves on 12 buses and retains 10 (was 5) minute frequency. Shirley High Street is now a monopoly.
True they incur extra costs on off peak journeys and only time will tell how financially worthwhile the 'takeover' is
Also 8 between City Centre and Aldermoor not being replaced
DeleteTechnically they don't save any buses on former routes 1 and 2, because they were the original operator on those routes, with the 12 and 18. There were so few people on the 1, that it will hardly be noticeable. The 18 was moved to double deck operation in anticipation of First's demise, and certainly the market has grown on the Shirley corridor, which is where the profitability will be boosted.
DeleteThe 18 wasn’t moved to double deck in anticipation of First’s demise. What tosh. They were introduced (the ones with double doors) to try and speed up boarding and alighting and thus to save putting in extra buses in the network to maintain punctuality.
DeleteYou could not be more wrong, regarding the double deck change. Bluestar knew that First had to go, even though it took longer than expected. It was a policy decision, to make certain that there would be sufficient capacity, when it happened. I was party to it! The former Unilink vehicles on the 17 were also left unaltered, as part of the same decision process. You are correct about the double doors, but it remains questionable whether it has had any effect on timings.
DeleteIf you were party to it, I’m sure you won’t mind declaring who you are to validate the statement then??
DeleteI am sure you understand confidentiality clauses, within contracts?
DeleteSo that’s a “no” then. As I thought, complete tosh.
DeleteIt's a no to disclosing my identity on a public forum. It's not the first time that you have used the word "tosh", in response to my posts. All of which are true.
DeleteShirley High Street isn`t quite a BS monopoly,as you can use Xelabus X11,or X12 to travel to town during the week-should you wish to.
ReplyDeleteX11 and X12 is hardly going to compete with Go south Coast now is it
DeleteFrom a government competition point of view it would be classed as a monopoly.
ReplyDeleteCorrect considering Xelabus X11 only runs between 9am and 2pm along shirley High Street mon to Fri where as only x12 operation Tuesday and Thursday
DeleteClicked on the timetable for the X12 and it`s called a Bitterne Hoppa route-funny that,considering it goes no where near Bitterne.
DeleteNew bluestar stickers appearing at bus stops
ReplyDeleteLess than 24 hours to the end of Farcebus in our city.
ReplyDeleteLast day of First operation in Southampton today. Is anyone hoping to get one final ride on a City Red?
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the vintage bus that was supposed to be running in Southampton on Saturday 18 Feb,as we were informed of on the Xelabus site?
ReplyDeleteThe bus operated and was very popular.
ReplyDelete