Changes on the way / Stagecoach increase fares / Xelacuts bite

More fairly minor timetable changes to several routes from Sunday 4th September on:

• Bluestar
• Salisbury Reds
• Xelabus X4, X9, X10 (X4 extends to Velmore, X9 and X10 are to cut to every 2 hours weekdays)

First Solent have a new timetable on routes F1 and F2 from Monday 17th October. They had been slated for the axe but have been saved by a funding reprieve.

Stagecoach fares will rise from Thursday 1st September. The adult Dayrider Gold remains £9.10, Winchester Dayrider rises 20p to £4.90 and the Portsmouth Dayrider goes up 30p to £4.70.

Xelabus X17 runs this Wednesday 31st August for the final time, leaving Bishops Waltham with no bus service towards Petersfield for the first time in decades. The X8 runs for the last time this Sunday, after which Boyatt Wood will now be a bus-free zone on Sundays and bank holidays. The X6/X7 run for the final time on Saturday 3rd September.

From Monday 5th September, Southampton Minilink launch the C between Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford, partly replacing the X6/X7. Velmore is spoilt for choice, also being served by an extension of Xelabus X4. Hiltingbury is left with no bus link to Eastleigh.

First Wessex have registered changes from 9th October on their routes 3, 4, X51, X52 and X53. Not yet clear what they are, but we'll bring you more as we get it.

Changes from 4th Sep / Unilink fares up / Xelabus buy Yellow Coaches

Timetable changes (generally minor) are on the way from Sunday 4th September on:

• First City Red 8
• First Solent 2 and 7
• Stagecoach Portsmouth/Havant 20, 37 and 38
• Stagecoach Winchester all services

In Southampton, Unilink fares went up this Thursday just gone. Full details here. The adult single flat fare is now £2.50 (up 20p) and the Southampton Dayrider, which is also valid on Bluestar is also up 20p to £4.00, although if you buy it on a Bluestar bus or the Bluestar app, it is still currently £3.80.

Over in Bournemouth, things seem to be settling down with More running almost all of the routes abandoned by the collapse of Yellow Buses. The exception is routes 18, 33 and 36, subsidised by BCP Council, which last Monday transferred to Yellow Coaches, which is now a subsidiary of Eastleigh's own Xelabus.

Last Day of Yellow Buses Today / More to Replace Routes from Saturday

Today, Thursday 4th August 2022, is the last day of Yellow Buses running on the streets of Bournemouth, ending 120 years of history.

There's no mention on Yellow's website yet. Maybe their staff are busy applying for other jobs. The Bournemouth Echo confirms the situation.

Tomorrow, Friday 5th August, will see no service on any Yellow routes.

From Saturday 6th August, More step in with an emergency timetable of replacement routes covering most of the Yellow network.

Here's the Yellow network as it stands on their final day:

... and here are the replacement routes that More will be running from Saturday:

More (no pun intended) as we get it.

Thursday afternoon:

Friday morning:

Saturday afternoon:

Yellow service cuts

 Yellow Buses, in administration, have announced a cut to services across their network.

Withdrawn from tomorrow, Wednesday 3rd August:

• 6h
• 727
• Buster's New Forest Explorer

Cut to a Saturday service six days a week:

• 1/1a/1b
• 2
• 3x (and what remains of the 3)
• 4
• 5/5a
• 6

Route curtailed:

• Buster's Beach Bus, running between Alum Chine and Hengistbury Head only

Normal service continues:

• 18
• 33
• 36
• 737

Drivers may be being tempted away by Go Ahead's More offering a staggered £2000 golden hello for experienced drivers signing up with them. 

Yellow Buses' future is far from certain. We should hear in the next week and a half whether or not an undisclosed nationally known operator is going to step in to save them from collapse.