Bluestar still have an incorrect timetable for route 3 on their website. It misleads potential passengers into believing that the evening buses still run all the way to Botley. Since Monday just gone, they don't. After the 1825 from town, all Bluestar 3s terminate at Maypole roundabout in Hedge End. Botley now gets its evening services from First 8A. OK, it is down to a cost-cutting decision by Hampshire County Council (who subsidise that section of route) rather than a commercial decision by Bluestar, but they knew about this well in advance, so there can be no excuse for not updating their timetable several days after the service has changed. You can find a correct timetable here.
Xelabus now have a timetable for the C1 on their website, after they started the Sunday service this week. Unlike First with the A, Xelabus points out on their timetable that Velvet run the main Mon-Sat daytime service. On both of those routes though, if you want a full timetable, that doesn't omit certain days or times of day depending on who the council have contracted to fill the gaps, the only place to go is Velvet's website.
How childish of BlueStar not to advise their passengers that evening services will no longer run through to Botley. That is really poor customer service. GSC seem to have a blind spot with this; W&D made no mention of the withdrawal of the 31 and 41 in Bournemouth when they went to Yellow Buses.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that HCC have not intervened but unfortunately the coverage on their website of the changes they have imposed is little better. There is no coverage of First's changes in Fareham and Gosport at all!
I have seen old people waiting for the BS3 in Botley at around 10pm in the freezing 2Celsius cold.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for these passengers.