Timetable changes this weekend / Itchen Bridge closure

This weekend we have timetable changes on First 4A & 26 and Bluestar 16.

From Sunday:

• On First 4A the weekday morning journey from Fareham at 0705 will replace the current 4B bus at the same time and will run right through to St Anne's School. New timetable here.
• On First 26, the last Mon-Sat bus from Hedge End to Fareham, currently at 1730, will be retimed to 1745. The last bus from Fareham on Saturdays will be at 1755 (instead of 1730 now). New timetable here.

From Monday:

• Bluestar 16 has a route change in Townhill Park and only minor timing changes. Full details here.

Looking further ahead, Itchen Bridge will be closed between 1900 and 0530 overnight from 2nd until 7th February. Buses will need to divert. First give their diversion details here affecting routes three, 4, 4A, X4, 6, 11, 12 and 13. Bluestar 3 will also be affected - but only on the 1900 Mon-Sat departure from Southampton.

Even further ahead, Bluestar have revealed details of their changes for the end of February. This includes the withdrawal of all night buses.

W2 now via General Hospital

Wheelers have quietly altered the route of the W2 so that it now runs via the General Hospital. Here are the full stop listings:

See the full new timetable here. A route map can be seen at Traveline.

Xela to Totton? / Council judged / Timetable changes

A new timetable launched today on Bluestar 5, E1 and E2. Full details here.

Now that First 10 has gone, there is no direct bus between Totton and the General Hospital. But, that could change. Xelabus are looking at running an off-peak service subject to funding from Totton & Eling Town Council. Will the council be able to find enough spare cash though?

Our sister blog, British Bus Bugle, is taking a look at how well Southampton City Council provides information about the bus services in our city. See the review here. Each Sunday, the Bugle reviews a different council and gives them marks out of 15 for their public transport publicity.

Meet the manager / January sale / Timetable changes

First are having an online meet the manager event next Monday. They'll have managers of their Southampton services on Facebook and Twitter live between 5pm and 7pm. Full details here.

Bluestar are having a January sale. A weekly ticket valid on Bluestar 16 is £9 until the end of January. It normally costs £13 for a Bluestar/Unilink Southampton weekly ticket.

Don't forget that there are timetable changes to Bluestar 5, E1 and E2 from this Sunday.

Changes this weekend / Colden Common calamity!

Tomorrow sees the end of the festive season and a return to normal service on all of our local bus services.

We have some timetable and route changes happening from this Sunday:

• First 2: Only minor timing changes. New timetable here.
• First 7: Minor timing changes. New earlier first journeys into town departing from Townhill Park at 0452 weekdays and 0647 Sundays. New timetable here.
• First 10: Withdrawn. This route will run for the last time on Friday 3rd January. It is partially replaced by changes to Velvet S1.
• First 11: Mon-Sat daytime frequency increased to every 7/8 mins. The last bus from town on Sundays will be at 2245 (currently 2340). New earlier first journey from Weston at 0536 on Saturdays (currently 0615). New timetable here.
• First 12: Route amended to serve Peartree Mon-Sats and Merry Oak only on Sundays. New earlier first weekday journey from Lordshill at 0456. Last Mon-Sat journey from town to Townhill Park will be at 2010 (currently 2301). Last Mon-Sat journey from town to Lordshill will be at 2259 (currently 2320). New timetable here.
• First 13: Now serves Merry Oak instead of Peartree. No longer serves Thornhill. Rerouted to run via Thornhill Park Road instead of West End Road. Will serve the South side of Central Station instead of the North side. Still no Sunday service. New timetable here.
• Velvet S1: New route to partially replace First 10 and to serve Lordshill North. Extended timetable to cover rush hours. Peak journeys serve Central Station instead of Polygon and skip Shirley. RSH Hospital will no longer be served. New timetable and route maps here.
• Salisbury Reds X7: Rerouted in Salisbury due to closure of the bus station. Now uses stop D on Endless Street. New timetable here.
• Salisbury Reds 34: Rerouted in Salisbury due to closure of the bus station. Now uses one of the stops on Endless Street. Timetable remains the same.

All of the new timetables can also be found on Traveline.

There's also a fare rise on First, mainly affecting Fareham and Portsmouth, but for us it does mean that the FirstDay Hampshire rises by 20p to £5.90.

Plus from Monday next week, First three is diverted in Sholing and Stagecoach 69 is diverted between Fair Oak and Winchester, both due to water works. Brijan 8 will also not be serving Colden Common or Allbrook for the duration of the works (until the end of February) and will instead run direct between Eastleigh and Fair Oak. Bluestar E1 will be Colden Common's only bus route to be unaffected by the road works.