The main highlights are Southampton's first ever Christmas Day bus service: Bluestar 18 with a special timetable and a route extension to the General Hospital. In Bournemouth, More M1/M2 will also run on Christmas Day, with route extensions to Christchurch and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
From this coming Sunday, 19th November, Stagecoach have a slight route change to the 66 in Abbotswood, due to Hampshire County Council closing part of Cutforth Way.
Also from 19th November, there's a new timetable on Stagecoach 64 between Winchester and Alton, featuring more evening and Sunday journeys.
Back in Southampton, the flying Santa gimmick thingemy is closing Bargate Street for a few hours every day until Christmas. This means diversions to some journeys on various Bluestar and First routes.
Good Afternoon
ReplyDeleteService X10 will also be affected and will terminate at start from Castle Way bus stop.
Customer Services
Xelabus Limited
Yellows will not be operating on Christmas Day and an extremely limited Boxing Day and New Years Day
ReplyDeleteGood to see Go-ahead giving customers plenty of notice of Christmas services,unlike First.
ReplyDeleteAt a bus stop in town and passengers were complaining to each other about the lack of publicity,regarding the new late buses on First 9 to sholing,with one lady saying the first she knew about it was when a bus kept going past her home at 10pm.
ReplyDeleteIt makes you wonder if First maybe don’t want their new evening services on the 9 and 13 to be much of a success. It does seem odd how for years they have claimed there is no viability for these services without funding and now suddenly they’re willing to give it another shot, at the same time as cutting back on other routes.
DeleteTheir most recent changes generally made for poor reading. There was no real good news for customers at all in it, so the skeptic in me wonders whether this improvement in the 9/13 is simply to try and add something positive at relatively little cost (the PSV for both routes is only 1 as they interwork in the evening). I wouldn’t become too reliant on these new services as I don’t expect to see them as a permanent fixture - First even said it was a trial in their announcement. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if the execution date was already planned. I may of course be totally wrong but First haven’t exactly got the strongest record in network planning; their favourite turn being U-turn.
If it is such a poor idea and poor execution why would they introduce it in the first place or have I missed something ? (Good to see the GSC fab club back on the posts)
DeleteAs I said before, I think it's a case of trying to be seen to do something, before their bosses decide to do something completely different altogether. This is not about GSC, it's about First and their battle to try to turn a decent profit in Southampton. The statement above about Go ahead is a statement of fact about Christmas services notification. I like GSC approach, but I certainly don't like Firsts. When someone thinks that First are doing a good job in Southampton, I am sure they will post! It could be a long wait....
DeleteWhy is this blog so unpleasant sometimes ?
DeleteWhat is the X15 Change that has been registered from the 27th December at short notice?
ReplyDeleteSurprised at First stopping running at around 6pm on Christmas and New Year`s eve in Southampton.
ReplyDeleteIt really is no surprise at all, except to their passengers. Year after year I am in town on both evenings and every year I see passengers waiting for buses that are never going to come. Eventually they wander off and catch a Blue Star, feeling abandoned by First. I wonder how many new friends the blue brigade win every year, because they can be relied upon?
DeleteAbout 25 years ago Solent Blue Line broke new ground with the first (in this area) boxing day services, the 18 also extended to the general hospital and the odd journey from Eastleigh (48 route). This was also an hourly service but started later and finished earlier
ReplyDeletePerhaps in a few years we will have the current boxing day service level on Xmas day
Lets hope not!
DeleteBack to 1 of the posts headlines(as unfortunatly like most stuff on this blog it turns into a ego trip of who is better fhad or gsc) New buses on the 64 aswell thought it worth mentioning. Enviro 400mmc.
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