Botley evenings / Eastleigh confusion

Our attention has been gratefully drawn to the fact that Traveline have a new timetable for Bluestar 3. No mention yet on Bluestar's website or Facebook page. But get this, it takes effect this weekend, a whole week earlier than the changes to most of Bluestar's other services. It takes a bit of digging on Traveline to find it, so here is the Bluestar 3 timetable as of Monday 17th October:

In summary, the last 3 to go through to Botley on Mon-Sats is the one leaving Southampton at 1825 and the last one from Botley into town is at 1843. First 8A will serve Botley throughout the evening, but with a longer journey time than you'd have got on the 3. Traveline's journey planner provides this gem:

Rather than get the 1826 8A from town directly to Botley, arriving at 1929, you have time wait 8 minutes and get the 1834 80 to Lowford, wait 15 minutes, then get Brijan 15 to Hedge End and then join the 8A from there. I don't recommend this, as it would certainly work out more expensive (unless you already have a Solent Travelcard). The 8A's long journey time is of course down to its indirect route via Woolston, Peartree, Bitterne, Chartwell Green (with its myriad roundabouts) and West End, whereas the 3 goes direct via Bitterne and Thornhill Park.

Moving on to Eastleigh. Traveline has confirmed that the C1 on Sundays will be operated by Xelabus (taking over from Velvet) as of this Sunday 16th October, and not the following Sunday as we'd previously thought. The timetable remains unchanged.

Staying in Eastleigh, the Velvet E2 Sunday service to Winchester is being scrapped. Velvet have already removed all mention of it from their website, but Traveline confirm it will run this Sunday 16th October for the last time.

Also being partially scrapped is Velvet E8, the evening service to Boyatt Wood. It will still run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, but earlier in the week, the last bus from Eastleigh to Boyatt Wood will be the Bluestar E2 at 1800. That's from Monday 24th October. This coming Mon-Weds, it'll be the E3 at 1805.