First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus company within First Group, operating services within Portsmouth, Southampton, Weymouth and surrounding areas.
History[]
First Hampshire & Dorset has its head office in Portswood, Southampton and operates bus services in the Weymouth and Bridport areas in Dorset; and services in Portsmouth (Hilsea Depot) and Fareham and Gosport (Hoeford Depot).
FirstBus acquired bus services in Portsmouth in 1996 from Transit Holdings trading as Red Admiral & Blue Admiral, which in turn had taken over the Portsmouth CityBus operations under the title of Southdown Portsmouth.
The former Southdown operations continue to be operated by Southdown Motor Services Limited t/a Stagecoach Coastline, or Stagecoach in Portsmouth (Portsmouth area services) or Stagecoach in the South Downs (Chichester/Worthing services).
FirstBus (later renamed First Group) had previously taken over the bus services in Gosport and Fareham formerly operated by People's Provincial and Hants & Dorset and amalgamated the services in the East Hampshire area as First Provincial.
Further acquisitions of the bus operations of Southampton CityBus and Southern National were made, with the company being renamed First Hampshire & Dorset in 2003.
In December 2006 the Traffic Commissioner fined First Hampshire & Dorset £35,000 for failing to run one in five buses in Portsmouth on time.[1] The operator received an earlier formal warning over timekeeping in June 2005. The Traffic Commissioners' nationally accepted criteria for the operation of a bus journey is running more than one minute early or more than five minutes late (otherwise the journey is deemed not to have run). In its defence, First Hampshire & Dorset had submitted that Portsmouth City Council's five year plan to resurface every street to improve street lighting had severely affected the operator's ability to maintain services, something rejected by the Traffic Commissioner.
First Hampshire & Dorset now publishes reliability and punctuality data on its website.
Cityred have now withdrawn from Southampton. This happened in early 2023.
Operations[]
First Portsmouth, Fareham & Gosport (First Solent)[]
First is the predominant operator within Portsmouth, with little competition from Stagecoach South.
Overview:[]
| Garage
Name |
Address | Routes
Operated |
No. of
Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilsea | London Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO2 9RP | 2, 7, 8, 22, | 64 |
| Hoeford | Gosport Road, Hoeford, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 0ST | 1, E1, E2, 3, X4, X5, 9, 9A, 11, 20, 21, 28, 28A, F1, F2, PR1 | 101 |
Garage Details:[]
Hilsea[]
Hilsea operates the majority of services within the city of Portsmouth and Waterlooville. Due to the small size of the garage, and the large allocation, vehicles are stored overnight in the nearby News Centre.
Bus Types Operated from Hilsea
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Dennis Enviro 200 | Alexander-Dennis Enviro 200 | 22 |
| Alexander-Dennis Enviro 200MMC | Alexander-Dennis Enviro 200MMC | 7, 8, 2" |
| Wright Streetlite DF | Wright Streetlite DF | all routes |
| Wright Streetlite Max DF | Wright Streetlite Max DF | all routes |
Hoeford[]
Hoeford operates the services within Fareham and Gosport, as well as Solent Ranger services between Southampton and Portsmouth/Gosport. They also operate the Portsmouth Park and Ride.
Bus Types Operated from Hoeford
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Optare Solo M99700SR | Optare Solo SR | 9, 9A, local Fareham Routes |
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| Wright Streetlite DF | Wright Streetlite DF | all routes |
| Wright Streetlite Max DF | Wright Streetlite Max DF | 1, 3, X4, X5 |
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| Wright StreetDeck | Wright StreetDeck | "Solent Rangers, School services, PR1, U1, F1, 11, 21, 9, 9A" |
| Alexander-Dennis Enviro 400 | Alexander-Dennis Enviro 400 | mainly P&R, sometimes local Fareham and Gosport routes. |
Services:[]
| Route
Number |
From | via | To | Branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gunwharf Quays | Fratton Bridge, Goldsmith Avenue, Milton, Festing Road (Links to service 3) | Southsea | |
| 2 | Gunwharf Quays | Albert Road, St Mary's Hospital, Copnor, Hilsea, QA Hospital | Paulsgrove | |
| 3 | Southsea | Southsea Shops, Lake Road, North End, Cosham, QA Hospital, Portchester (Links to service 1) | Fareham | |
| X4 | Portsmouth | Portchester, Titchfield, Park Gate, Sarisbury Green , Lowford, Woolston | Southampton Central Station | Solent Rangers |
| X5 | Gosport | Lee-on-the-Solent, Stubbington, Titchfield, Warsah, Sarisbury Green, Lowford, Woolston | Southampton Central Station | Solent Rangers |
| 7 | City Centre | North End, Hilsea, Widley, Crookhorn, Milton Road | Wecock Farm | The Star |
| 8 | Gunwharf Quays | Stamshaw, Hilsea, Widley, Cowplain, Horndean | Clanfield | The Star |
| 9/9A | Fareham | Rail Station, BRT, Carisbrooke Road, Gomer Lane, Stoke Road | Gosport | |
| 11 | Fareham | Hoeford, Fleetlands, Forton Road, Haslar | Alverstoke | |
| 20 | Fareham | Highlands, Funtley | Wickham | |
| 21 | Fareham | Redlands Lane, Newgate Lane, Peel Common | Hill Head | |
| 22 | Highbury | Cosham High Street, Lower Drayton, Eastern Road | Farlington | |
| 28 / 28A | Fareham | Segensworth, Swanwick Station | North Whiteley (Including a few journeys to Botley Train Station.) | |
| E1 | Fareham | Rail Station, BRT, Crossways, Stoke Road | Gosport | Eclipse |
| E2 | Fareham | Rail Station, BRT, War Memorial Hospital, Stoke Road | Gosport | Eclipse |
| F1 | Fareham | Rail Station, Blackbrook Road, Highlands Shops | Highlands | |
| F2 | Fareham | Lesuire Centre, Maylings Farm, Frosthole Crescent, Highlands Shops | Highlands | |
| QA1 | QA Hospital | NHS Park and Ride Service | NHS Fort Southwick | |
| PR1 | Tipner Car Park | International Port, City Centre | Gunwharf Quays | Park and Ride |
First Wessex, Dorset & South Somerset[]
Logo of First Wessex
First services in Dorset were formerly those of Southern National. First operate a limited number of routes in this region, but do run the Jurassic Coaster services.
Overview:[]
| Garage
Name |
Address | Routes
Operated |
No. of
Vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridport | West Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 7NQ | outstation | - |
| Weymouth | Edward Street, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 7DP | 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, X51, X53, X54 | 63 |
Garage Details:[]
Bridport[]
Bridport is used as an outstation for the First Wessex operation, meaning that any of the fleet's vehicles may be stored there.
Weymouth[]
Weymouth is the main depot for First Wessex, operating all vehicles within the fleet.
Bus Types Operated from Weymouth
| Vehicle Chassis | Vehicle Body | Routes Operated |
|---|---|---|
| Optare Solo M99700SR | Optare Solo SR | Wessex 3 and 6 |
| Volvo B7RLE | Wright Eclipse Urban 2 | Wessex 1, 2, 4, 10 |
| Wright Streetlite DF | Wright Streetlite DF | Wessex School Routes |
| Wright Streetlite Max DF | Wright Streetlite Max DF | Wessex 1, 2, 4, 10 |
| Volvo B7TL-57 | Alexander-Dennis ALX400 | Portland Coaster |
| Volvo B9TL-57 | Wright Eclipse Gemini | Wessex 1, 10, School Routes, Jurassic Coaster |
| Volvo B9TL | Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 | Jurassic Coaster |
| Alexander-Dennis Enviro 400 | Alexander-Dennis Enviro 400 | Wessex 1, 10, Jurassic Coaster |
Services:[]
| Route
Number |
From | via | To | Branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weymouth | Chiswell, Fortuneswell, Easton, Weston, Southwell | Portland | |
| 2 | Weymouth | Radipole Spa, Dorchester Road, Broadwey | Littlemoor | |
| 3 | Weymouth | Newstead Road | Westham | |
| 4 | Weymouth | Overcombe Corner, Maunsell Avenue | Preston | |
| 6 | Bridport | Bradpole, Melplash, Broadwindsor, West Coker | Yeovil | |
| 8 | Weymouth | Newstead Road, Fiveways, Charlestown | Chickerell | |
| 10 | Weymouth | Radipole, Broadwey, Upwey, Dorset County Hospital | Poundbury | |
| 501 | Weymouth | Wyke Regis, Portland Castle, Easton | Portland Bill | Portland Coaster |
| 502 | Weymouth | Abbotsbury Road, Fiveways | Littlesea Holiday Park | Portland Coaster |
| 503 | Weymouth | Esplanade, Bowleaze Cove | Waterside Holiday Park | Portland Coaster |
| X51 | Dorchester | Poundbury, Chideock, Charmouth, Lyme Regis | Axminster | Jurassic Coaster |
| X53 | Weymouth | Portesham, Chideock, Charmouth, Lyme Regis | Axminster | Jurassic Coaster |
| X54 | Weymouth | Osmington, Lulworth, Upton, Hamworthy | Poole | Jurassic Coaster |