In 2006 there were two route 38s in Portsmouth, both of which went Facts and Figures (2008, 2006, 2004 in order) into rural Hampshire. Now there are none. First’s now starts at
Venue….…Commercial Road, Station Street, Portsmouth Cosham, whilst Stagecoach’s starts in Havant, although now Date……….Tuesday 16 September 2008, Tuesday 9 May 2006,
numbered 37. Friday 30 April 2004
Time……...1500-1600
Routes 40 and 41 of First both serve Waterlooville via Cosham. Number of Journeys arriving or departing 99. 107. 100 Coming from Southsea the 40 serves Crookhorn and Wecock Farm.
Number of different buses……………….………….73 76 75 The 41 starts at The Hard and uses the main A3 with its costly bus Median Age…..August 1999 (9years 1 month), July 1998 (7 years
priority on to Cowplain, Horndean and Clanfield. Both routes are 10 months) , August 1998 (5 years 9 months)
operated by the Scania OmniCities in heavy route branding Oldest Bus…....First Pointer Dart 46320 M320YOT. augmented by some Volvo 10BLEs with Wright bodies. It is rare to
First Leyland Lynx 62681 K801CAN. see any buses other than of these types on these routes. Both routes First Wright bodied Dennis Dart
were reduced from twelve minute frequencies to 15 minutes in 2006. The incoming buses on route 41 were noticeably irregular with JDZ2300
two coming together. In 2006 southbound buses were diverted away Newest Bus…..Stagecoach ADL Trident 18524 GX06DXZ,
from the survey site. Seen on the 40 were Scanias 65012/4/5/7/8, First Optare Solo 53140 YJ05XOP,
and Volvos 66121/59. 66121 was new in Southampton. On the 41 Stagecoach Transbus Dart 34454 GX53MWZ were Scanias 65007-10/23. New buses are expected to serve these Number of liveries……………………….…….4, 6, 9.
routes from the end of the year. Percentage of low floor…………………….75%, 52%, 48%
Most distant destination……………………Brighton*, Brighton, London
As many Portsmouth teenagers take their post 16 education at South *alternatively Chichester (see text)
Down College, First operate a 40C service to and from the city Analysis of Buses
operating city bound at this time of day. Double decker 34078 Chassis 2008 2006 2004 PP578EFL a Northern Counties Volvo Olympian was new to
No % No % No % Stagecoach and Volvo B10BLE 66155 were on the service. 52089/105 Dennis Dart 25 34.2 26 34.2 25 33.3
were the two buses seen in 2006, both being Marshall bodied Iveco
minibuses. This is an interesting transformation in vehicle allocation. Volvo B10BLE 17 23.3 11 14.5 19 25.3
Potential reasons for this are that it is the start of e the academic Scania OmniCity 12 16.4 10 13.2
year rather than the fag end in the last survey in May 2006, or that Mercedes Benz 709D 6 8.2 4 5.3 5 6.7
First is transforming travel! In that period a new post 16 college has been opened in the city centre. Mercedes Benz Vario 6 8.2 3 3.9
Alexander Dennis Trident 4 5.5
Routes 45 and 45A to Hambledon or Denmead are other minibus Optare Solo 1 1.4 1 1.3
routes with Marshall bodied Mercedes 52581 which was on the 13/14 Volvo B6 1 1.4 1 1.3 1 1.3
and Optare Solo 50277 W308DWX on the latter. The Solo was new to Volvo Olympian 1 1.4 6 7.9 6 8.0
First West Yorkshire. A new Solo was bought in 2005 for this route with funding from Hampshire County Council. Iveco Turbo Daily 13 17.1 17 22.7
Leyland
Lynx 1 1.3 Route 57 runs from Portsmouth to Warsash. Ex Southampton 46320 Leyland Olympian 1 1.3
M320YOT was doing duty on 16 September along with Mercedes 709D
51722. 46320 was the oldest bus of the day and the only one of the Volvo B7R 1 1.3
former Southampton Darts seen. Bodies 2008 2006 2004
No % No % No %
Stagecoach operate route 700 from Southsea to Brighton every 30 Plaxton 31 42.5 32 42.1 30 40.0
minutes. New double deckers took on the route just after the 2006
survey and provided the newest bus on show. In 2006 south bound Wright 17 23.3 11 14.5 20 26.7
buses were diverted. The four ADL Alexander bodied Tridents were Scania 10 13.7 10 13.2
06 registered 18511/4/23/4. As a result of the new mileage Alexander 6 8.2 5 6.6 7 9.3
legislation the route was legally turned into a Southsea- Chichester UVG 3 4.1 2 2.6
one with onward connection to Worthing and Brighton with the destination reading Chichester for Brighton. However this has now Norrthern Counties 2 2.7
been discontinued with buses showing Brighton. East Lancs 1 1.4 1 1.3
Leyland 1 1.4 1 1.3
Hellyers of Fareham operated a service for Hovertravel to their Marshall 1 1.4 13 17.1 15 20.0
terminal at Clarence Pier but the firm collapsed nearly two years ago and Telling Golden Miller how operates the service with Optare 1 1.4 1 1.3
LX55KZZ, a Pointer Dart. It now has Hovertravel contravision over all Mellor 3 4.0
the bus apart from the front window! Hellyers had operated an R Operators 2008 2006 2004
registered example for many years No % No % No %
First 51 69.9 56 73.7 50 66.7 The Stagecoach Megabus route to London no longer operates in the
afternoon and Solent Blue Line’s X27 to Southampton branded as Stagecoach 21 28.8 18 23.7 23 30.7
Solent Shuttle now only operates two hourly and not seen in the Telling Golden Miller 1 1.4 1 1.3
survey hour. Hellyers 1 1.3 1 1.3
Solent Blue Line 1 1.3
Two other buses passing by were J10CXC and K388OWN, coaches operated by Aqua Travel on school work. Type of Vehicle 2008 2006 2004
No % No % No %
What was so noticeable about this survey is the withdrawal of routes Single Deck 49 67.1 49 64.5 46 61.3
over the four years and the frequency reductions which had been Double
made. However we can still see 73 buses in an hour at Portsmouth Deck 6 8.2 6 7.9 7 9.3
City Centre. Minibus 21 28.8 21 27.6 22 29.3
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