Bus timetable changes announced

Bus timetables affecting the Solent area – including the routes through the Western Wards – will be changed from later this month.

The alterations to the First Hampshire services between Fareham to Southampton are part of a wider series of changes affecting the firm’s Solent area – including Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport and Waterlooville.

First Hampshire announces bus timetable changes

The changes affecting the Western Wards services are:

Service 4 4A (Southampton-Gosport/Fareham) The current 4A service which starts and finishes at Queen Anne’s School will operate in place of the 4B.

Service 28 (Warsash-Fareham) First will run this tendered service. Daytime services will be diverted to serve Fareham College, Longmynd Drive, Greyshott Avenue and Wild Ridings to allow a day-time shopping service.  The 7am departure from Fareham will be extended to serve Tesco at Whiteley, and the current 5.04pm from Whiteley Parkway will start instead at Whiteley Tesco at 5.02pm.

The changes will come into force on Sunday January 26.

Changes will also see an increase in frequency of the E1/E2 (Eclipse) services between Fareham and Gosport on Sundays while a new Hampshire County Council contracted Service 21 will run from Fareham to Hill Head and Lee on the Solent.

Matt Callow, First Hampshire & Dorset’s Commercial Manager, said: “As a result of continuing customer feedback, we have amended several of our routes to improve local services and better reflect the region’s travel patterns.

“For example, 64 per cent more customers are using our E1/E2 Eclipse instead of the services it replaced. Its popularity means we can now extend its frequency on Sundays – therefore from 26 January, services on the route will run every 10 minutes.”

He added: “Of course, we have also made other changes that reduce frequency or where routes have been altered. Given the current challenging economic climate, cuts in Government funding and the high price of fuel, we cannot justify running services that only carry a handful of customers.

“The changes we are implementing much better reflect customer demand. The new network will help us to increase passenger numbers and we are confident of being able to convince even more people to give up their cars and consider using the bus more often.”

For details of the changes and new timetables, visit the website, www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/hampshire/ or find First Hampshire on Facebook and on Twitter, .

Copies of the new timetables will be available in First’s travel shops from mid-January 2014.