Days out from Romsey / More changes / X15 reduced / D1 for Bath

New days out are made possible by two new Sunday services that combine to run between Romsey and Andover. Stagecoach 77 will run between Andover and Stockbridge, with a free bus provided by the Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership adding the link to Romsey. Full details here. They will both run on Sundays and Bank Holidays from 6th May until 23rd September. Attractions the new services make accessible include Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop and Danebury Hill Fort.

More have new timetables on most of their routes from 27th May. Also, routes R4/R5 are absorbed into an expanded route 14. Unibus U5 is withdrawn from 26th May.

Xelabus X15, also branded as Shopper Connect, has a new timetable from 14th May. Unfortunately it's being cut from six to two journeys each way on weekdays only.

First 265 between Salisbury and Bath has been rebranded as of today as the D1, part of First's new Discover sub-network centred on Bath.

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Pound Tree Road travel shop: GONE!

The First travel shop in Pound Tree Road in Southampton City Centre closed for the last time on Friday. First chose to notify passengers by issuing this message on ... err ... Friday. There's been a travel shop from First/Citybus/SCT on Pound Tree Road for decades, since long before privatisation. Can anyone remember when it originally opened?

First are steering people who used to use the travel shop to their website and app, which is fine for those of us comfortable with the technology, but some people will inevitably be left behind.

Southbourne Buses launch the S40 this Tuesday. It's a once-weekly shoppers' service from Ferndown via West Moors and Fordingbridge to Salisbury. See the timetable here.

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Yellow B1 clings on / Bluestar upgrade

Yellow Buses' full network change came in this weekend just gone in Bournemouth - full details here and here. The lettered 'lines' have been abandoned in favour of simple route numbers.

The Bourne Line is now the 4/4a for example... except for when it isn't - the B1 is still running until 26th May when it will be replaced by new Yellow service 737 - yet another route number for Bournemouth Airport.

The council contracted routes that had been integrated into the 'lines', such as the Dolphin Line and Heath Line revert to their old route numbers 18, 33 and 36. More have taken over the 20 (which was half of Yellow D1) and the R4/R5 which keep their 'line' era lettering until the end of May when they'll be integrated into More 14.

More 32 has also has a slight route change.

In Southampton, Bluestar 1 and 2 are improved from this coming weekend. The 2's headline daytime frequency increases from every 20 to every 15 minutes and there are more evening journeys from Southampton to Eastleigh. The 1 has a few new journeys too plus posh new buses that are simply too nice to use on a route that doesn't go through Chandler's Ford.

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