See a summary of bus service levels throughout the festive season here.
Here's how our region's buses will be running on New Year's Day 2019:
Southampton & Eastleigh:
Bluestar: Special service on routes 1, 2, 4, 9, 12, 16, 17 and 18. No service on other routes.
First Southampton: No service.
Salisbury Reds: No service on routes X7/X7R.
Stagecoach: Full Sunday service.
Unilink: No service.
Xelabus: No service.
Special timetables:
Bournemouth & Poole:
Damory: No service.
First Wessex: No service.
More: Sunday service on routes 5, 6, 16, 17 and X3. Special service on routes M1, M2, 8, 9 and 13. No service on other routes.
Unibus: No service.
Yellow Buses: Special service on routes 1/1A, 2, 3, 4, 5/5A and 6 only. No service on other routes.
Special timetables:
Portsmouth, Fareham & Havant:
First Portsmouth: No service.
Stagecoach: Full Sunday service.
Winchester:
Bluestar: Special service on route 1.
Stagecoach: Full Sunday service.
Special timetable:
Salisbury:
Damory: No service.
First Bath D1: No service.
Salisbury Reds: Sunday service on route X3. On Activ8, only Stagecoach Sunday journeys will run. No service on other routes.
Stagecoach: Sunday service on Activ8.
Weymouth:
Damory: No service.
First Wessex: No service.
Isle of Wight:
Southern Vectis: Full Sunday service.
For the remainder of the week, Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th January inclusive, normal service resumes except for on the following operators, which will have a Saturday service:
- First Southampton
- First Portsmouth
- First Bath D1
- Yellow Buses (except routes 1B, 18, 33, 36 and 737, which will have a weekday service)
See a summary of bus service levels throughout the festive season here.
Not sure many will want to use buses in the evening on New Year`s day to be honest.
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting to see. They have run on the Isle of Wight for many years I think.
DeleteBS 18 seems to be well patronised tonight.
DeleteJust about everything that ran in Southampton today had way more people on than anyone anticipated!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSouthampton Council needs to be heavily criticised by showing a Saturday and a Sunday Timetable on their Real Time Information Boards across the city today...
ReplyDelete*Just for First bus services
DeleteThe entire system is not fit for purpose and should be scrapped. People miss buses because they have stopped looking for buses, instead relying on a stupid inaccurate screen!
DeleteThe entire system is poor during normal operation.Until the Council can get it right or rather employ people who know what they are doing,it should be switched off.Fed up waiting at stops within the City where it counts down to bus due,then disappears off the screen,and no bus turns up.Irritating and puts you off bus travel.Best to go by timetable in timecase on the stop in all cases as it's rare these are not upto date.However where out of date I find if it's a First run service it's very difficult to find anyone to talk too on the telephone or twitter to know what you are talking about.First customer services are shocking in this respect.A pity really as a few years back their customer services were very good
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of fundamental design flaws which elementary systems analysis would reveal. Under-educated persons have tried to replicate a system designed for e.g. London Underground for use with bus services and have created monstrosities of which Romanse is a particularly poor example.
DeleteIn normal operating conditions railways run, and have to run, to a strict timetable which makes arrival times predictable. Buses have to cope with traffic conditions and loading varying numbers of passengers so times are only accurate in ideal conditions - it would be better for the system to switch from minutes to stops when the bus reaches a geographical radius from the bus stop so the intending passenger gets an accurate picture of what progress is/is not being made by the bus.
Tube services serve a limited number of destinations at high frequency so showing the next few services to arrive suffices. With buses the service running every 30 minutes gets lost among the services running every 7/8 mins - it would be better just to show the first bus to arrive for each particular service.
Train duties are relatively uncomplicated - a specific incoming train will operate a specific outgoing train so the delay/cancellation will cause the delay/cancellation of the next which can be predicted. Buses are more flexible which is less predictable and the adopted solution is to assume a bus is going to depart on time which leads the non-appearance of buses at City stops as pointed out by the above comment - the system needs some way to distinguish an intended service and one that is actually ready to run.
I think the ideal solution would be for every bus stop to have a display screen with a built-in live bus tracker, showing you the exact location of approaching buses. We already have flight trackers and location sharing on our smartphones wo why can’t we take advantage of this technology on our buses?
DeleteThat is possible, and is already done by Yellow Buses on their website and app (albeit sometimes buggy...it's not working tonight). Even shows you the fleet numbers, so great for the bus enthusiast!
DeleteBut this is something done only by one operator here. A local authority-run scheme with a decent system would be really good.
Xelabus does the same, but still not that reliable
DeleteLess locally, Reading Buses do the same.
DeleteWhat on earth is the point of all this so called technology if most of it is hit and miss
ReplyDeleteBut, is that not exactly the problem with technology? My sat nav showed me as out in the English Channel the other day, whilst passing Brighton on the A27! Great for duty free however!
DeleteI've got buschecker app but it just uses same info from real-time website. Now I check with Google maps & location on to see how far away bus is...eg outside Asda & see the 16 is 'on time'. But I'll then double check & see it's progress on New Rd into town & find out that's it 'delayed by 4 mins' for example...
ReplyDeleteAnother time I wait for the 18 as I missed the 16, maps shows its coming towards me, er nope! No bus came along for another 15 mins & it was like sardines on there.
Google maps also only has 'due' time with First bus,& never shows delays for them. Only seems to with Bluestar & Unlink.
Just need to be aware that this info shouldn't be taken as gospel, & needs to be taken with a pinch of salt sometimes.
At 12:30 in Bitterne towards city today, the real-time said 16 was 2 mins away? Cos I often use the 16 I knew that was incorrect. Sure enough 5 mins later, it went from being due to being 9 mins away! Which would be correct in this case. I would have informed others waiting but didn't bother seeing as they all had earphones in.
ReplyDeleteJust reaffirms previous point of taking info with pinch of salt.
Plus one said tonight that the 4 to Romsey was due long after it had stopped running.
Deleteould someone interpret BTSHD @01:03,please
DeleteIn looking it up it stands for Bus Transport in South Hants and Dorset. I must assume it's a private site and nothing official about it.If you go to the site it may for some give a vague clue to who operates it
DeleteI operate the blog.
DeleteTomorrow at 12-noon we will announce the first suggestion we will do to a Bus Operator that can change the travelling experience of a whole village
ReplyDeleteWill be intresting to see
Deleteif you go to Bus Transport South Hants and Dorset site,all will be revealed in a change to travelling experience of a whole Village
DeleteIt is the diversion of First service 8 to serve Hedge End Village
DeleteSorry, what is the target market of that group?
DeleteIs it lobbying the bus companies or council subsidies? Is it a group of armchair experts?
The posts appear to infrequent and the language too suggestive of power.
It's the site of Claudio/Anonymous/BTSHD/any other pseudonym he might be using... I don't believe it's a group, more an individual who liked this site so much he thought he'd do the same thing, and like many do wants a better bus service for a particular area.
DeleteIt's possible that the language being "too suggestive of power" is a cultural difference or because English is possibly not his first language. If you can get past that there's often some interesting ideas worthy of debate.
What is less hard to get past is how Claudio regularly attacks people on here for posting anonymously, yet he himself clearly posts under a variety of pseudonyms including anonymously, and does so often to support his argument (as seen for instance in the Anonymous post 7 Jan 13:14). Many have tried to point out to Claudio that if he toned it down a bit people would engage with him more favourably, but this has on occasions in the past been greeted with attacks back that he is being bullied (which of course he isn't).
Claudio please don't read this as an attack on yourself but as friendly advice. Tone it down a bit and I suspect both people on here and bus companies may engage with you far more favourably. You might even persuade first to "change the travelling experience of a whole village".
Hello Mark, I will keep this comment as friendly as I can. I always comment as my name or BTSHD, which is the blog I run.
DeleteI have never commented as anonymous and I condemn anyone who tries to do so under cover. (That comment 7 Jan at 13:14 wasn’t made by me at all, I can ensure you)
I was just trying to promote my blog, as I still don’t have the same projection as the other ones.
Regarding your comment, I have actually to say that I am very disappointed with Bluestar, as they say they listen to feedback but mine was completely ignored and actually slammed by Alfie, the person who are behind the idea of extending the 17 to Weston.
I know Hedge End is a very difficult area to run public services. Just a little bit of context, I moved to the area not long ago with my best friend, as he bought a house in the new estate, and as I am rent free, I don’t wish to move somewhere else, unless circumstances change drastically.
My experience with Xelabus wasn’t that good either, and they even invited me to have a meeting with Mr Blair, but I suspect they just want to be aggressive with me and intimidating me, so I refused it.
Lately I have been attacked by Bluestar drivers by board/alight at the new bus stop that serves my estate, called Barnfield Way. There is bus stop info from Bluestar and it is well signalised. The excuse I receive from drivers is “the bus stop is not open”, when it actually is.
I am trying to cross the t and dot the i and make sure people can enjoy a good bus service. I appreciate your comment, and there is no hard feelings towards you, Mark. I am trying to tone down, but unfortunately, I see little change on behaviours and willing from companies to improve things. We have to incentive the use of the bus and that’s what I want to do with my contributions.
Replying to Darren: I am making the blog more personal, and that will involve a change of name. I am not in competition with any other blog, and my posts are intended to be biased, because it is my opinion, and not everyone needs to agree with me.
DeleteThank you for your critic.
Not all,but many post under anon due to the fact they work for bus companies whoes employers would not be too happy about the fact to see one of their employees posting a comment on certain sites.Also when you put your name you can sometimes be the subject of online abuse which you don't neccessarily need just because you have a certain oppinion to put forward.Unfortunate this,but that's the way some people are.I know Myself when I have posted on sites about something I don't like operational wise about a bus company,I instantly get abuse back why do you hate this operator.My comments are about something they operate and nothing to do with whether I like them or not.If i find something adrift with an operation I post and tell them so,To Me it's of no interest who the operator is.If the service or whatever is bad or poor I inform them.
DeletePH1098723/68 Registered
ReplyDeleteXELABUS LIMITED
Route: Barton Peveril College to Thornden School
Service number: 503 ()
Service type: School or Works
Effective date: 18 Feb 2019
PH1098723/83 Registered
XELABUS LIMITED
Route: Eastleigh Bus Station to Petersfield Tesco Store via Swanmore, The Meons
Service number: X17 ()
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 20 Feb 2019
PH1098723/85 Registered
XELABUS LIMITED
Route: Southampton Bargate to Bishops Waltham Square via West End, Durley
Service number: X10 ()
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 17 Feb 2019
PH1098723/86 Registered
XELABUS LIMITED
Route: Eastleigh Bus Station to Bishops Waltham Square via Colden Common, Hedge End, Botley
Service number: X9 ()
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 17 Feb 2019
Sunday Service to be withdrawn
PH1098723/67 Registered
XELABUS LIMITED
Route: Eastleigh Bus Station to Eastleigh Bus Station via Boyatt Wood
Service number: X8 ()
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 17 Feb 2019
PH1098723/38 Registered
XELABUS LIMITED
Route: Eastleigh Bus Station to Hiltingbury, Ashdown Road via Velmore, Chandlers Ford
Service number: X6 (X7, X7A)
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 17 Feb 2019
PH1098723/61 Registered
XELABUS LIMITED
Route: Eastleigh Bus Station to Hedge End, Freegrounds via West End
Service number: X4 ()
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 17 Feb 2019
As far as I am aware, the services
ReplyDeletewill have some journeys cut due to a reduction in the subsidies
X17 Change will be for the route to run from Eastleigh to Petersfield
ReplyDeleteThis may have a price and it wouldn’t surprise me, instead of two return journeys every Thursday, it will be one return only. We need to see.
DeleteIt runs Wednesdays not Thursdays.However it will more than likely now be just one journey before at some stage it gets axed completely.
DeleteBe nice on a Wednesday for those in the Eastleigh area to have a few hours shopping in Petersfield.The other changes in most cases will I suspect will be due to Council cuts.However this won't be unique to Xelabus,because as the year progresses other operators who receive subsidies will also get cuts.The Government says austerity has ended,but as far as Councils are concerned,most are still being starved of cash from Central Government.Look forward to more cuts in 2020
ReplyDeletePH0006159/376 Cancelled
ReplyDeleteFIRST HAMPSHIRE & DORSET LIMITED
Route: Fareham Bus Station to Portchster Precinct via North Portchester
Service number: F3 ()
Service type: Normal Stopping
Effective date: 03 Mar 2019
Not surprising...
DeleteWould inagine with other cuts to services by HCC in Fareham and Gosport area the F3 doesn't fit in with anything anymore to operate in a sensible fashion.A lot more services in the future will go until HCC don't have to subsidise anything,which I'm sure is the ultimate plan.
ReplyDeleteFirst CityRed 7 to start serving Cobden Bridge from Wednesday 8th January 2019
ReplyDeleteMean 9th sorry
ReplyDeletePresume you mean the stop near to the bridge where the new flats are,is being reinstated and the temporary one outside Bitterne Park Hotel being removed
ReplyDeleteDiversion of First 8 to serve Hedge End Village?! I'm pretty sure years ago it always used to serve the village anyway.
ReplyDeleteTo see the F3 being cut is not a surprise. Only a handful of journeys in a day. A simple diversion of a 3 about twice a day in each direction would probably "shut up" residents. South Portchester gets one every 10 mins so missing one or to wouldn't kill them. Although I bet First do not do that!