New First network: Route 1 analysed

The new First 1 will run from Weston into town as per the old 1 and then on to Lordshill as per old 8, then on to Adanac Park as per old 17.

It'll run every 10 minutes Mon-Sat daytimes between Weston and Lordshill, with a bus extending to Adanac Park every 20 mins. On Sunday daytimes it will run half-hourly between Weston and Lordshill only. The evening service will only run between the city centre and Weston and will be every hour (half-hourly Mon-Sats before 2100).

The old 1A route variation via Jurds Lake Way is withdrawn. All buses will run via Weston Grove Road and Archery Road, which will see an increase in frequency:

Here's a summary of the timetable differences between town and Weston:

The main point being that the Saturday daytime frequency is up from 5 to 6 buses an hour.

Between town and Lordshill, new 1 replaces old 8, running to exactly the same route. Here's how they measure up when the timetables are compared:

The Saturday daytime 10 minute frequency will last for longer than it currently does. Overall, this is a big improvement. The only downside is a later first bus and earlier last bus on Saturdays.

New 1 also takes over the serving of Adanac Park from old 17. Adanac therefore loses its direct link to Millbrook, but Shirley and the city centre can still be reached directly if you don't mind the bus going through Lordshill first. As Adanac Park is mainly offices, I've analysed the timetables with office workers in mind:

There is an overall cut in service on weekdays, but a 20 minute frequency is still not bad. To make up for that though, Adanac Park gets a Saturday service for the first time.

No sign of any late night services to Weston being extended to Hamble after the change.

Don't forget, these changes do not take effect until Sunday 29th April. All the new timetables can be found here.

Stay tuned to see what new route 2 means for you!