First Hampshire & Dorset (Wessex, Dorset & South Somerset)

Sealink · 30 May 2026

Russel said:
I've only ever used the X51/53 routes a few times, always on a Wednesday strangely when they get snarled up in traffic heading into Bridport which has sort of soured by opinion of the roues, I'm not sure if this is a regular thing because of summer traffic or some other reason, but it added 30 minutes onto the journey easily from the Axminster direction, looking if anything can be done to avoid this, divert away from traffic hotspots etc would be more beneficial IMO.

Unfortunately not as Chideock is a bottleneck on the A35, west of Bridport, especially in the summer. Going down the narrow road to/from Lyme Regis doesn't help either.

Definitely a bigger issue in the summer, and journey times are extended in the timetable to reflect this.

I can't imagine anything worse than doing Weymouth or Dorchester to Axminster! Especially doing school term where one bus comes into Bridport then goes to Colfox School before coming back into the town. That adds about 20 minutes, typically.

After Winterborne Abbas the bus now diverts to Martinstown, a change I was against. But in practice it regularly avoids the other traffic hotspot on the A35 between Poindbury and Winterborne Abbas. Several times the X51 has swept through as traffic tails back on the A35.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 May 2026 ==

Russel said:
I've only ever used the X51/53 routes a few times, always on a Wednesday strangely when they get snarled up in traffic heading into Bridport which has sort of soured by opinion of the roues, I'm not sure if this is a regular thing because of summer traffic or some other reason, but it added 30 minutes onto the journey easily from the Axminster direction, looking if anything can be done to avoid this, divert away from traffic hotspots etc would be more beneficial IMO.

Wednesday is also market day in Bridport. Quieter than the Saturday market but in the height of summer can be very busy.

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dgl · 30 May 2026

Personally I like doing long X53/51/54 runs, it's something to do when I'm off over winter and the views are always nice (well unless it's foggy!)

As has been said there is nothing that really can be done to avoid any traffic as there aren't any other ways the bus can go, fun at one point when both the coast road and A35 to Dorchester were closed for a bit, we just had to wait.

Russel · 30 May 2026

Sealink said:
Unfortunately not as Chideock is a bottleneck on the A35, west of Bridport, especially in the summer. Going down the narrow road to/from Lyme Regis doesn't help either.

Definitely a bigger issue in the summer, and journey times are extended in the timetable to reflect this.

I can't imagine anything worse than doing Weymouth or Dorchester to Axminster! Especially doing school term where one bus comes into Bridport then goes to Colfox School before coming back into the town. That adds about 20 minutes, typically.

After Winterborne Abbas the bus now diverts to Martinstown, a change I was against. But in practice it regularly avoids the other traffic hotspot on the A35 between Poindbury and Winterborne Abbas. Several times the X51 has swept through as traffic tails back on the A35.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 May 2026 ==

Wednesday is also market day in Bridport. Quieter than Saturday but in the height of summer can be very busy.

Fair enough, I'm not local so didn't know options were so limited.

Shame as Axminster - West Bay is a really lovely route, but the traffic in the summer ruins it in a way, especially as a 30 minute delay into West Bay means you have 30 minutes less there to enjoy the area.

dgl · 30 May 2026

Russel said:
Fair enough, I'm not local so didn't know options were so limited.

Shame as Axminster - West Bay is a really lovely route, but the traffic in the summer ruins it in a way, especially as a 30 minute delay into West Bay means you have 30 minutes less there to enjoy the area.

At least in the summer you have the X53 and the open top X50 so it's easier to take an earlier bus.

Sealink · 1 Jun 2026

dgl said:
At least in the summer you have the X53 and the open top X50 so it's easier to take an earlier bus.

X52 is the open top bus for West Bay. (Bridport - West Bay - Burton Bradstock etc. to Weymouth)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jun 2026 ==

A list of issues with First so far...

First have done their "thing" again, in that if you want to know the bus times from Bridport to Weymouth you have to refer to three different timetables.
Despite the X52 and X53 following the same route... it would not be difficult to show them on one page. WATAG actually print a timetable (of course, First are digital only) which combines X51, X52, X53 and LB1 in one.
The bus stop publicity also shows the LB1 operating on Fridays and Saturdays at 0010. It's actually Saturday and Sunday at 0010.

Here is what the WATAG published Saturday timetable looks like... you will notice the first bus on Saturday to Dorchester doesn't get there till after 10am, and Weymouth at 9.29am

X51 services have Weymouth on the destination blind with a tiny scrolling "via Martinstown... via Dorchester". This has led some people thinking they are getting the Weymouth bus via the coast road...

TheGrandWazoo · 1 Jun 2026

Sealink said:
X52 is the open top bus for West Bay. (Bridport - West Bay - Burton Bradstock etc. to Weymouth)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Jun 2026 ==

First have done their "thing" again, in that if you want to know the bus times from Bridport to Weymouth you have to refer to three different timetables.
Despite the X52 and X53 following the same route...

X51 services have Weymouth on the destination blind with a tiny scrolling "via Martinstown... via Dorchester". This has led some people thinking they are getting the Weymouth bus via the coast road...

So these people have turned up for their bus an hour early and not noticed the via destination... I think that might be the least of their worries!

Sealink · 1 Jun 2026

TheGrandWazoo said:
So these people have turned up for their bus an hour early and not noticed the via destination... I think that might be the least of their worries!

Not quite.
Mondays to Fridays an X51 with "WEYMOUTH (scrolling... via Martinstown... via Dorchester) is at 9.29am, the X52 via the coast is 9.32am - when it's on time.
This pattern is repeated throughout the day.
Locals know the difference, tourists don't. A simple solution would be to change the X51 to "DORCHESTER.. then Weymouth" which First said they would do, they haven't.

TheGrandWazoo · 1 Jun 2026

Sealink said:
Not quite.
Mondays to Fridays an X51 with "WEYMOUTH (scrolling... via Martinstown... via Dorchester) is at 9.29am, the X52 via the coast is 9.32am - when it's on time.
This pattern is repeated throughout the day.
Locals know the difference, tourists don't. A simple solution would be to change the X51 to "DORCHESTER.. then Weymouth" which First said they would do, they haven't.

Apologies - I thought you were talking about the X51 and X53. You meant the X52 - that does make sense.

Nammer · 11 Jun 2026

Apologies if this is in the wrong section, I couldn't find a First Hampshire (Solent) one.
A new service X3 is to be introduced from 27th July 2026 between Fareham and Southsea, South Parade Pier, to supplement services X4 and X5 between Fareham and Gunwharf/The Hard and service 3 between Gunwharf/The Hard and Southsea, South Parade Pier. The service will run every 30 minutes (daytime) and every 60 minutes (evenings) on Mondays to Saturdays.
Extra information: Services 1 & 3 will reduce in daytime frequency on Mondays to Fridays from every 10 minutes (currently) to every 12 minutes from the same date.

Sealink · 3 Jul 2026

So our new late night bus between Bridport and Lyme Regis is hitting hurdles already - namely the closure from 8pm every Friday of the A35 to build a new roundabout at Miles Cross.
First have helpfully put a poster up at the Bridport Bus Station, but no one has told their journey planner.
I have emailed First repeatedly about this as it is going to be a regular occurance over many summer Fridays.

Sorry for the very image based post - I just don't understand how they can't get the basics right.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jul 2026 ==

And once again, the road is closed tonight (10 July) and First have not updated their journey planners.

Sealink · 18 Jul 2026

Another total failure last night.
First have a tiny poster at Bridport Bus Station advising no buses after 8pm.
Meanwhile, their own app, and the RTI display showed normal departures.
In addition, the 1945 service arrived and was cancelled, the driver telling me "It's cancelled... it's on the poster." I pointed out that the poster said 8pm and his reply was "Well it's cancelled as I can't get back".

dgl · 18 Jul 2026

The RTI was also a mess when they had roadworks meaning the centre of Dorchester was effectively closed and buses were serving Poundbury only, taking the bypass to get there.
There were a decent amount of people wondering why the bus didn't turn up and I ended up getting the train back to Weymouth.

Edit:
Noticed today that the bus terminating audio message has changed from "Thanks for travelling with First South" to "Thanks for travelling with First Wessex" so the Wessex brand must be staying for promotional purposes at least.

Edited again:
Noticed that the RTI screens can now show how full a bus is, alternating between the destination and busyness.
The screen I can see at the moment has the next bus showing as "Bus fairly busy" and the one after showing as "Bus quiet".

Sealink · 10 Oct 2026

Dorset Council approves biggest transport transformation in a generation

An ambitious programme to transform travel across Dorset has been given the green light, paving the way for improved, more frequent and better-connected public and community transport.

www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Dorset Council’s Cabinet has approved a seven-year plan that will drive forward a complete transformation of transport services across the county, starting from next summer.

Designed to help people get to local shops, work, education, healthcare appointments and community activities more easily, the programme will create 700 additional bus journeys, introduce a full Saturday service and new strategic routes plus double the frequency of buses in some areas.

The £65m programme will be delivered in phases and funded through a combination of existing transport budgets, government funding, developer contributions and future external funding opportunities.

£65m bus transformation

Dorset Council have made a fairly huge announcement regarding public transport in the area. Given their previous level of engagement it's a bit of a revelation.

TheGrandWazoo · 10 Oct 2026

Sealink said:
£65m bus transformation

Dorset Council have made a fairly huge announcement regarding public transport in the area. Given their previous level of engagement it's a bit of a revelation.

It's a seven year plan so £9m p.a.

One wonders if it isn't a bit too late. I remember having a trip out in Dorset in Dec 2017, just before the big cuts came and many routes went Monday to Friday only and others went altogether. They cut their tendered routes from 35 to SEVEN and whilst four routes were taken on commercially, the rest went. Those cuts came after the disastrous tender package of 2011 where everything was awarded to Damory but still with a number of service reductions.

I can remember when the Yeovil - Cattistock - Dorchester service had 3 or 4 return trips, 6 days a week. No longer exists, and whilst there is the Heart of Wessex rail line, a number of villages have lost all their public transport. Others on other routes have all but lost theirs, save the odd schools diversion.

Appreciate that a lot of West and North Dorset is sparsely populated to compare the network now from what it was in the 1990s is like night and day, and little can be attributed to the operators.

Towers · 10 Oct 2026

TheGrandWazoo said:
It's a seven year plan so £9m p.a.

One wonders if it isn't a bit too late. I remember having a trip out in Dorset in Dec 2017, just before the big cuts came and many routes went Monday to Friday only and others went altogether. They cut their tendered routes from 35 to SEVEN and whilst four routes were taken on commercially, the rest went. Those cuts came after the disastrous tender package of 2011 where everything was awarded to Damory but still with a number of service reductions.

I can remember when the Yeovil - Cattistock - Dorchester service had 3 or 4 return trips, 6 days a week. No longer exists, and whilst there is the Heart of Wessex rail line, a number of villages have lost all their public transport. Others on other routes have all but lost theirs, save the odd schools diversion.

Appreciate that a lot of West and North Dorset is sparsely populated to compare the network now from what it was in the 1990s is like night and day, and little can be attributed to the operators.

Quite simply, of course, councils have no money. Rural bus services ferrying a handful of folk to the shops once or twice a week are sadly a very difficult thing to justify when the towns & cities are packed full of things which need so much of the budget spending on them.

TheGrandWazoo · 10 Oct 2026

Towers said:
Quite simply, of course, councils have no money. Rural bus services ferrying a handful of folk to the shops once or twice a week are sadly a very difficult thing to justify when the towns & cities are packed full of things which need so much of the budget spending on them.

The problem is that there are few towns and cities in Dorset - the only areas of population are both in unitaries (Bournemouth/Poole, and Weymouth/Portland). I know they have had to make choices in the light of central government cuts. However, Wiltshire next door had a more balanced approach - Dorset's cuts were brutal. Also, some of the cuts weren't just minor routes - there were some fairly chunky ones too!

Lynford1976 · 10 Oct 2026

Speaking as someone who lives in the north of Dorset, Gillingham in particular will be expanding significantly in the years to come (up to 1,800 new houses planned to the south of the town - on flood plains!), and there have been recent developments around Blandford.

Shaftesbury is also becoming increasingly popular as a visitor and shopping destination and has also received new housing.

To some extent, the area actually benefits from fairly decent services, albeit thanks to funding by Wiltshire Council as they cross the border!

@TheGrandWazoo, to correct post #286, Weymouth/Portland is under Dorset Council's administration and isn't a separate unitary. You're right about "BCP" though.

Sealink · 10 Oct 2026

Dorset feels squeezed between BCP and Hampshire on one side and Devon on the other.

Weymouth is our biggest town which does seem to have decent services between Portland - Weymouth - Dorchester and Poundbury.

But the rest feels like an annoyance to our major operator, First.

317 forever · 10 Oct 2026

Most buses at Hoeford are now Kites, including for Eclipse routes E1 & E2.

Unlike previous batches of routes for Eclipse routes which had a distinctive moquette, this batch has the same moquette as for other Kites with First.

TheGrandWazoo · 10 Oct 2026

Lynford1976 said:
Speaking as someone who lives in the north of Dorset, Gillingham in particular will be expanding significantly in the years to come (up to 1,800 new houses planned to the south of the town - on flood plains!), and there have been recent developments around Blandford.

Shaftesbury is also becoming increasingly popular as a visitor and shopping destination and has also received new housing.

To some extent, the area actually benefits from fairly decent services, albeit thanks to funding by Wiltshire Council as they cross the border!

@TheGrandWazoo, to correct post #286, Weymouth/Portland is under Dorset Council's administration and isn't a separate unitary. You're right about "BCP" though.

Thanks for putting me straight on Weymuff - not certain where I'd got it into my head it was a unitary :rolleyes:

There may have been a point with the 2017 cuts, or was it proposed and not taken forward (?), where Gillingham and Shaftesbury only had Saturday buses because of Wiltshire Council though it does have journeys were added to the CR2/CR3.

There are perhaps some places that would benefit from an enhanced service. Yeovil to Sherborne used to be half hourly - now hourly Mon to Fri and two hourly Saturday. We shall see what comes of this.

Lynford1976 · 10 Oct 2026

TheGrandWazoo said:
Thanks for putting me straight on Weymuff - not certain where I'd got it into my head it was a unitary

There may have been a point with the 2017 cuts, or was it proposed and not taken forward (?), where Gillingham and Shaftesbury only had Saturday buses because of Wiltshire Council though it does have journeys were added to the CR2/CR3.

There are perhaps some places that would benefit from an enhanced service. Yeovil to Sherborne used to be half hourly - now hourly Mon to Fri and two hourly Saturday. We shall see what comes of this.

I only moved here in 2021 (from Kent) so can't comment on anything before then.

Certainly, since I've been here, the Gillingham - Shaftesbury and Gillingham - Sturminster Newton corridors have lost their Saturday service and regained them again.

They've also been renumbered from X-prefixes (they're not Express routes!) to CR-prefixes (for Core Route), whilst Gillingham has also had a town service reinstated.

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