It now includes route 26 from Hedge End to Fareham but bizarrely the 4/4A/X4 services have been removed from the Southampton booklet. The index page refers to them thus:
It also includes some fares info for major destinations, but stops short of providing the full fares table that you can find online. Maybe they didn't want to confuse people, but the fact that it only takes two images (taking up potentially no more than two pages of their booklet) to work out the single or return fare for any journey on their network is something they really should be shouting about.
We've already covered the major changes here. The biggest one is that the 8/8A to Hedge End are halved in frequency, becoming just the 8, and will no longer serve the village centre. This will send many much needed passengers the way of Velvet A and possibly Bluestar 3 too.
Extract from First's new network map showing the major changes in the east of the city.
There are indications from some sources that First 4/4A/X4 may change in July,and thats why more than likely it's not shown in the new Southampton area timetable-But who knows?-PAC
ReplyDeleteI'm still in shock over the inclusion of the 26! :-)
ReplyDeleteAbsurd the 4 group of routes is not included. Who is in charge of this stuff? Crazy crazy crazy
ReplyDeleteI have been asking for a while, who is in charge at First Hampshire, and how are they keeping their jobs?
DeleteI note to the 12 seems to run in and out of the City Centre via New Road and Palmerston Road-However when some moons ago the 8 use to turn from New Road into Palmerston Road after one day they rerouted it from New Road via Above Bar as at times this turn can be awkward, for the buses of longer length. The turn is no problem on outward journeys.Wonder wether this will be the first early change.- Would have thought with the new 12 would have been better inward to run via Kingsway and Houndwell Place- Still at least we get a printed timetable book instead of having to carry round with us all the silly little leaflets that Bluestar insist we have.-Overall,yes indeed who is in charge at First Hampshire?- PAC
DeleteI have just visited the Travel Shop for First in Pound Tree Road Southampton to be advised they wont be available there until sometime next week or that's what they are telling people-PAC
DeleteI believe that the 4 series is likely to change in July. Personally I think it would have been better to include the timetables with a health warning re changes; but I do understand why they have left them out.
ReplyDeleteStill as PAC says, much much preferable to those stupid little leaflets that Bluestar use. More/W&D/whatever they are calling themselves this week produce a timetable leaflet so why can't Bluestar who are part of the same group!!
Agree completly,should have appeared with a health warning as to a possible future change-It's on the main diagram map, which has been updated to include Wright's Hill in the timetable, and as a main service in and out of Southampton I regret it's not inclided.I don't know,but it has been suggested from a source that the 4 will be replaced by an X5, and if so would be a clash with the present 5 between City and Botley/Portsmouth Road. However this is only what I have read from the source and might not be the case - PAC
ReplyDeleteSilly to have same no's for Soton & Fareham/Gosport/Portsmouth. So much for simplification of routes. Could have easily renumbered bus servs in any of the areas to avoid clashes when the networks were recast.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any service numbers overlap in any of the areas so not sure there is a problem ...is there ?
DeleteNot as such, but people on Facebook/Twitter when talking to First use route no's & the number of times the next question is "which area?" is very high.
DeletePlease correct me if i'm wrong,but in the new timetable for Southampton from 1st june 2014,where they have chosen to include certain fare information, on the 6 to Hamble-Le-Rice from Southampton, it advises you that the single is £3.50 but for a return as it's cheaper the Day Ticket at £4.20. However on the revised 8 from Southampton to what remains of what they serve in Hedge End, it advises of £4 single but a return fare of £5,when surely they should have advertised the £4.20 Day Ticket as they did for the 6 service.-PAC
ReplyDeleteOOPS -an oversight or maybe now out of Day Ticket zone?
DeleteFirst have said on Twitter this morning that the FirstDay Southampton is not valid to Hedge End or Hamble. They said it's valid on 8 to Harbourne Gardens (city boundary) and on the 6 to Weston Lane. They might want to change page 19 of the new timetable book then, which suggests the FirstDay Soton to be used as a return to/from Hamble.
DeleteWhilst I have seen the messages on twitter I think someone in their reply is confusing the City area boundary with the area beyond. Are we now saying that if a passenger who at present could board a 6 at Tickleford Drive or the 8 at the Two Brothers in Townhill Way in the Southampton direction, can now not purchase at FirstDay Southampton ticket. Surely Weston Lane and Harbourne Gardens are the limit of the City Boundary for the FirstCity Day Ticket. - PAC
DeleteAccording to the pink zone on the network map, FirstDay City is only valid as far as Sholing Station on the 6 - Wrights Hill is outside the zone for that ticket, so I think they do mean the FirstDay Southampton is not valid beyond Weston Lane. This leaves Hamble and Hedge End with return tickets or the FirstDay Hampshire at £5.90.
DeleteIf you look back on twitter they have now revised their statement to the effect the Firstday Southampton ticket is now valid to Hamble-le-Rice. It's just the 8 that now needs sorting out if there is any competent person left at First to give an answer.I wish on their site they would list their services with the exact boundaries as to where the boundary is for the 3 day tickets I know for a fact you would on the 8 be able to use the City Ticket as far as Harbourne Gardens, but beyond the drivers I have seen have issued a FirstDay Southampton,do I take it they have done this in error when it should have been the First Hampshire Day ticket.-PAC
DeleteMight I add I accept the boundary for the FirstCity Ticket is Sholing Station and not as I have given the impression of being Weston Lane-appoligises for that one._ PAC
DeleteCity Day boundary is valid from Cerne Close, Anything after is a £4.20 day ticket.
DeleteOn the 6 City Day valid up to the BP station on Portsmouth Road, and again anything after is a £4.20 job.
First Southampton Driver.
Thank you Firstbus Driver-Apart from the fact I thought it was one stop beyond at Harbourne Gardens on the 8 and at Sholing Road/Portsmouth Road on the 6 for FirstBus City, the validity of the FirstDay Southampton ticket is as I suspected. PAC
DeleteWhat I want to know is why aren't the day riders in line with the fares, ie multiples of 50p.
ReplyDelete