Stagecoach South & South East

[Blindtraveler]

And some vehicle interiors have been let go rather badly as well, it will certainly be interesting to see if this is a short-term blip or long-term cost, cutting and or managed decline

 

[ls2270]

I did wonder when I had a job near to Aldershot bus depot last week. Even some of those sent to Basingstoke doesn’t seem to see daily use or have spent some time in the yards, even one of the GX06 Tridents has recently made a comeback from storage.

On another side note, the care and attention of Stagecoach of old seems to have disappeared. I passed a rather dirty SN66WHD earlier, still complete with Stagecoach Oxfordshire branding and adverts all over it, just shy of 7 months away from Oxford. Another seems to have an advert for a long closed camper business too.

Never mind the GX06 Trident, former Basingstoke 18081 WA04CTX is back in service at Andover this week. Has done a full day on the 76 today.

 

[embers25]

The Manchester transfers are beaten up instead with seats that have no padding. More like being on First Kernow.

I'd rather have 18081 on the 76 any day over Manchester buses or the Enviro 300s with their awful seating layout.

 

[Flange Squeal]

On another side note, the care and attention of Stagecoach of old seems to have disappeared. I passed a rather dirty SN66WHD earlier, still complete with Stagecoach Oxfordshire branding and adverts all over it, just shy of 7 months away from Oxford. Another seems to have an advert for a long closed camper business too.

The Golds at Aldershot are also still advertising a 10 min frequency on the side. A frequency not offered for 5 years now!

 

[fgwrich]

Never mind the GX06 Trident, former Basingstoke 18081 WA04CTX is back in service at Andover this week. Has done a full day on the 76 today.

I wondered where that had disappeared to! Mind you, it’s twin WA04FOK has since moved back to Devon and was out and about today too.

 

[markymark2000]

The Golds at Aldershot are also still advertising a 10 min frequency on the side. A frequency not offered for 5 years now!

I wonder if that is something that the Advertising Standards Authority can resolve on the basis that it's misleading to consumers?

 

[ls2270]

There seems to be an influx of ex Stagecoach Midlands E200MMCs arriving at Stagecoach South. Any ideas as to what these are planned to replace?

 

[Murray J]

There seems to be an influx of ex Stagecoach Midlands E200MMCs arriving at Stagecoach South. Any ideas as to what these are planned to replace?

12 are due for Guildford to replace all 12 E300s at the depot, primarily for use on Route 34. Also quite a few (likely 8 if replacing like-for-like) are due for Worthing for Route 17 so the SN69 E200MMCs currently running the route can return to Basingstoke (except 26297/298 which have already transferred to Chichester).

 

[ls2270]

12 are due for Guildford to replace all 12 E300s at the depot, primarily for use on Route 34. Also quite a few (likely 8 if replacing like-for-like) are due for Worthing for Route 17 so the SN69 E200MMCs currently running the route can return to Basingstoke (except 26297/298 which have already transferred to Chichester).

Ah thank you that’s interesting!

 

[nw1]

Looking at the working pattern since the recent Stagecoach changes in Guildford the diagramming seems to have been simplified considerably, with less interworking between the southern routes (i.e. 46, 53/63, 65, 70/71/72) at Guildford. This seems to have been triggered by a revised timetable on the 70/71/72 from what I can see, with the 71 and 72 now interworking and the 70 now self-contained, but more generally there is less interworking - a few months ago you seemed to get quite a bit of interworking between the Godalming group of routes and the 65, and the 53/63.

Source: block numbers from bustimes.org, which are now provided. I haven't made any on-the-ground observations.

Guildford in general, and Aldershot, tend to see simple working patterns with many routes self-contained, a contrast to some other Stagecoach South depots such as Winchester and Basingstoke which have a good deal of interworking and vehicles running many routes during the day.

 

[stadler]

Do they still have the old Arriva depot in Guildford as well as the Peasmarsh depot? I remember they took over the old Arriva depot as the Peasmarsh one could not fit everything. But i have heard of plans to turn the old Arriva depot in to housing. If they do then does anyone know which routes run out of the old Arriva depot in Guildford and which routes run out of the Peasmarsh depot?

 

[nw1]

Do they still have the old Arriva depot in Guildford as well as the Peasmarsh depot? I remember they took over the old Arriva depot as the Peasmarsh one could not fit everything. But i have heard of plans to turn the old Arriva depot in to housing. If they do then does anyone know which routes run out of the old Arriva depot in Guildford and which routes run out of the Peasmarsh depot?

I'm not sure to be honest. I'm not a current local but did formerly live in the Guildford area hence my continuing interest in the bus routes of the area.

 

[Surreyman]

Do they still have the old Arriva depot in Guildford as well as the Peasmarsh depot? I remember they took over the old Arriva depot as the Peasmarsh one could not fit everything. But i have heard of plans to turn the old Arriva depot in to housing. If they do then does anyone know which routes run out of the old Arriva depot in Guildford and which routes run out of the Peasmarsh depot?

No, closed and up for sale. I was under the impression that planning permission had been granted for redevelopment.
The For Sale sign (by an Industrial estate agent). would seem to indicate otherwise.
The former Safeguard depot was let out for after closure, may be due to very long, slow, planning permission times.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Do they still have the old Arriva depot in Guildford as well as the Peasmarsh depot? I remember they took over the old Arriva depot as the Peasmarsh one could not fit everything. But i have heard of plans to turn the old Arriva depot in to housing. If they do then does anyone know which routes run out of the old Arriva depot in Guildford and which routes run out of the Peasmarsh depot?

No - Stagecoach ceased using Leas Road in late-May last year. During Stagecoach’s time there it mainly supplied vehicles for Woking routes 34, 35, 47 and 91, plus for a time Guildford local route 6 when that was interworked with the 34/35 rather than 2/7. Other than the 20 which is worked from Aldershot, Stagecoach’s Guildford and Woking routes are now all worked by Peasmarsh.

Maintenance previously done at Leas Road also transferred to Peasmarsh as a result, except for deckers which have to go to Aldershot due to Peasmarsh’s roof being too low. My understanding is that Stagecoach remain on the look-out for a potential alternative depot in the area though.

 

[Simon75]

Maintenance previously done at Leas Road also transferred to Peasmarsh as a result, except for deckers which have to go to Aldershot due to Peasmarsh’s roof being too low. My understanding is that Stagecoach remain on the look-out for a potential alternative depot in the area though.

What is the capacity of Leas Road, compared to Peamarsh ?

 

[DelW]

Looking at the working pattern since the recent Stagecoach changes in Guildford the diagramming seems to have been simplified considerably, with less interworking between the southern routes (i.e. 46, 53/63, 65, 70/71/72) at Guildford. This seems to have been triggered by a revised timetable on the 70/71/72 from what I can see, with the 71 and 72 now interworking and the 70 now self-contained, but more generally there is less interworking - a few months ago you seemed to get quite a bit of interworking between the Godalming group of routes and the 65, and the 53/63.

These changes have also dealt with a minor niggle noted by @lxfe_mxtterz in post 2 of this old thread (now closed):

[TRIVIA] Incorrectly spelt destinations

I was flicking through some photos on Flickr and found this image of a Tellings-Golden Miller Enviro 200 working a Kingston University service with "Subribition" on its destination, instead of Surbiton. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hertsman_images/8100422083/ It got me wondering what the...

www.railforums.co.uk

Another one with Stagecoach South, though not necessarily an incorrectly spelt destination; rather a very minor grammatical error if you wished to be pedantic - the route 72 between Guildford and Ockford Ridge displays "Eashing lane Estate" (lower case 'L') for its southern terminus rather than "Eashing Lane Estate".

All three words now have capital letters!

There also seems to be a bit of an attempt to get onboard PIS working, for the first time in probably a couple of years I was on a bus this week that had it in use.

 

[Flange Squeal]

The Hants & Surrey Bus News Facebook page is reporting that Stagecoach South fares are increasing from 14th July, with some sample ticket types and their respective increases given.

28/06/25 - STAGECOACH FARE CHANGES

From Monday 14th July there will be changes to some Stagecoach fares.

- Singles remain £3 maximum
- NightRider remains £3 but will be reviewed later in year
- Andover £1 single fare promo ceases
- Gold and South Hants ticket prices unchanged, with latter replacing Hayling Island period tickets

Having had a look comparing current and new fares...

- Adult DayRider typically go up 50p
- Group DayRider typically go up £1
- 7 Day MegaRider & Flexi 5 typically go up £2
- 28 Day MegaRider typically go up £7
- MegaRider Xtra typically go up £6
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-27/06/2025-10:54:46:882

Source: https://www.facebook.com/hsbusnews/...u4fnduabX6AcpdAMZQfnsxw6rTiqRzTH8rxqX1HTL7pjl

------------

New post 01/07/2025:

The Stagecoach South East 69, their one-vehicle open-top bus service running hourly 0900-1700 (minus 1300) between Ramsgate and Broadstairs is being extended later this month. The website currently says:

We'll be making some exciting changes to our Thanet Open Top service for this Summer 2025. Keep an eye on our website for more information about the new and improved service...

Source: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/south-east/thanet-open-top

A variation to the route registration, effective 19th July, says:

• Start point Minnis Bay
• Finish point Cliffsend

Source: https://www.vehicle-operator-licens...registered-local-bus-services/details/634200/

Going on to Bustimes.org and selecting 19th July shows what appears to be three vehicles on a route extended at both ends to run hourly, with no lunch break gap, Cliffsend - Ramsgate - Broadstairs - Margate - Minnis Bay. This extends the journey time from around half an hour each way to around 1.5 hours each way.

Source: https://bustimes.org/services/69-ramsgate-broadstairs-2?date=2025-07-19#

 

[RDP]

Future of Folkestone Bus Station18 Apr 2025 to 05 Jul 2025​

As part of Folkestone & Hythe District Council's A Brighter Future project, the Folkestone Bus Station site will be transformed into a 'green heart' for the town.
The current bus station will be made over with green spaces, seating areas, cycle stands, trees, plants and walkways.
Work is now underway to provide alternative bus access points in the Middelburg Square area as part of a phased transition to new permanent bus stopping arrangements. These works are going to take several months, with the planned final day of operation within the bus station on Saturday 16th August 2025.
We are working closely with Folkestone & Hythe District Council to ensure a smooth transition. We expect buses to continue to use the bus station as normal until Sunday 17th August.
Fom that date buses will use new interim stopping points in the Middelburg Square area. Full details on where you can catch your bus will be published soon.

The above is from the Stagecoach website.

Looks like Folkestone bus station has had a stay of execution. It was due to close on 5th July.

 

[sbrignall72]

Why have the ex Manchester MMCs 11814/15/17/18 been removed from service. Are they required back in Manchester.

 

[duncombec]

Why have the ex Manchester MMCs 11814/15/17/18 been removed from service. Are they required back in Manchester.

Canterbury Park and Ride is going/has gone all single-deck, so they are currently in reserve.
I don't think there are plans for them to move elsewhere, but they need repainting before they can be used in regular service.

 

[sbrignall72]

Canterbury Park and Ride is going/has gone all single-deck, so they are currently in reserve.
I don't think there are plans for them to move elsewhere, but they need repainting before they can be used in regular service.

Ok thank you

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Jul 2025 ==

Ok thank you

This will be their third livery in the space of 18 months

 

[RDP]

Route 69 | Thanet open-top | Stagecoach

Explore the Thanet coast with the open top route 69.

www.stagecoachbus.com

With so many open top services elsewhere being withdrawn or curtailed it is nice to see one being extended. As from tomorrow (19th July) service 69 Ramsgate Broadstairs is extended to Minnis Bay restoring a service last operated in the 1990s. With a PVR increase from one to three this should at last see at least some of the reserve open top buses, Scania Omnicitys 15101/3 and ADL E400 19135, enter service alongside Tridents 17528/9 which up to now have been covering this service.

 

[SeveerYeliab]

Why have the ex Manchester MMCs 11814/15/17/18 been removed from service. Are they required back in Manchester.

One has been repainted already.

They will be allocated to service work at Herne Bay, displacing 2x (2016) mmcs to Dover and Ashford each - presumably this will withdraw 4x of the 2008 Scania 400s which are earmarked for disposal.

 

[alex397]

The first day of South East’s extended 69 was operated by 15101 and the classic 17528, 17529

15101 is apparently just a temporary addition until Enviro400s come. This has double doors, and these were even in operation. Arguably this would be a useful addition to the Thanet Loop! Anyway, there were certainly issues with using the ramp from the second door, but this is perhaps due to driver not being used to this system.

The route itself is far more interesting than it used to be. Im surprised it’s taken this long to have such a service.

Even on a rainy day with windy and stormy weather, the service attracted a lot of people which is promising.

This is the first time since the early 1990s (so I’m told) that the 69 has operated its full route. Though the section between Palm Bay and Broadstairs doesn’t follow the original route, instead it’s a sightseeing route of bland suburban housing.

 

[EnviroExplorer]

One of the Flixbus Yutong GT12s (YB25 ULM) is now at Meadow Road

The first day of South East’s extended 69 was operated by 15101 and the classic 17528, 17529

15101 is apparently just a temporary addition until Enviro400s come. This has double doors, and these were even in operation. Arguably this would be a useful addition to the Thanet Loop! Anyway, there were certainly issues with using the ramp from the second door, but this is perhaps due to driver not being used to this system.

Enviro400 open tops 19135/6 were also transferred in from London also and retain their centre doors in most recent photos, are these set to be converted to single door?

Additionally the livery on 15101, 15103, 19135 and 19136 appear to be similar to the Skegness Seasiders or even Ensign 99 service, with a different coloured livery on each bus. However there has been no specific marketing to accompany them thus far, and rumours suggest they were intended for another new service, perhaps in Eastbourne? If anyone can shed light on this that would be nice to know.

I cannot share Photos here as they are from private Facebook groups, but each of the above 4 vehicles carry a different livery, in order they are mint green, lilac, blue and pink with a sandy yellow skirt.

 

[Flange Squeal]

There looks to be service changes across various Stagecoach South depots from the end of August, including some new/enhanced Sunday services.

STAGECOACH SERVICE CHANGES

In addition to the Surrey County Council tender changes previously announced, which take effect from 31st August (and include White Bus and Falcon taking over the 11 & 12 respectively), some additional Stagecoach registration changes have begun appearing from the same date. Once more information is made available, I will of course share it. Local highlights include:

1 (Aldershot - Old Dean Eatate)
Revised timetable to improve punctuality.

6 (Farnborough - Prospect Estate)
Timing points amended to improve punctuality.

7 (Aldershot - Hartley Wintney)
Revised timetable including re-routing in Aldershot and Church Crookham to improve access to local supermarkets.

10 (Farnborough - Church Crookham)
New Sunday & Public Holiday service introduced with BSIP funding from Hampshire County Council (plus timing adjustments to 410/610 college/school variants).

13 (Basingstoke - Whitehill)
Revised timetable in connection with Alton College timings (same reason also sees revised timings on 65X & 123).

38 (Alton - Petersfield)
Revised timings to improve reliability (plus morning 638 college variant withdrawn).

64 (Winchester - Alton)
Revised timetable with extra journeys.

66 (Winchester - Romsey)
Revised timetable to improve reliability.

69 (Winchester - Fareham)
Route/timetable change plus hourly Sunday service.

There are also timetable amendments to some local services in Andover and Winchester, as well as around Portsmouth/Havant.

Thanks to Nigel McBride for the heads-up on some of these.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/16Cgbc554z/

New School Year – Stagecoach South 24 July 2025 HantsBusService Updates, Stagecoach SouthLeave a Comment on New School Year – Stagecoach South

Reading Time: 4 minutes
The new school year is coming, it almost feels like the old school year has just ended! We are less than 56 days to September though so without much surprise Stagecoach South’s changes have started to appear with a change date of Sunday 31st August.

There are a few schools and colleges changes, which I will note but gloss over on the basis that schools and colleges have probably paged the information out, but a lot of services are listed for change.

There is also an interesting, but probably simply a typo, change in that service changes previously listed as being run by “Stagecoach in Basingstoke” or “Stagecoach in Andover” are now listed as being run by “Stagecoach in Winchester”. The registration itself is not changing so I would not read much into it, but it was just an anomaly that I thought was interesting. Stagecoach in Portsmouth’s 19 for example does not have this change.

Andover

There is a route and timetable change for service 4 between Picket Piece, the Town Centre and Drove Estate. Essentially trips towards Picket Piece will no longer stop inside Andover Railway station during the day, until the (retimed) trip at 1633.

Most trips are also retimed to leave Harrow Way School 10 minutes earlier and the 1853 trip from Picket Piece to Andover no longer runs.

There will be minor changes to:

Service 2 to East Anton in the early morning

Basingstoke

There is a service uplift on South Ham’s service 3 Monday to Saturday. The service frequency will increase from every 20 minutes to every 15 minutes. Sundays will remain every 20 minutes.

Probably of minimal note as well, the route was split into an outward and inward back in April, this has now been reversed so it shows as a single circular service.

There is a small timetable change on service 13 reflecting changes to the timetable at Alton College.

Havant

New School Service (for Stagecoach at least) is the 632 Hayling Island & Havant Bus Station to Oaklands School. This is in replacement for the Oaklands School extensions of service 30. It will run via Beachlands then Sandy Point in the morning (per route 30) and the reverse (per route 31) in the evening

There are also minor timetable changes on

Service 37 to Clanfield and Petersfield
Hambledon Schools service 654
Havant Colleges 737 service

Portsmouth

There is a route change in Leigh Park for recently new service 19. This change is to serve more areas in Leigh Park, presumably due to passenger and local feedback. Instead of returning from Park Parade via Purbrook Way, it will now run via Stockheath Road to do a loop of West Leigh.

It appears that Middle Park Way will be served in both directions, although that might also mean an extra vehicle will be needed to maintain the timetable.

There are also minor timetable changes to:

Service 21 between Gunwharf and Anchorage Park

Winchester

Service 4 will have a route change with the service running between Winchester City Centre and Highcliffe only. Fulflood and Teg Down will no longer be served. The service will run hourly, seven days a week.

Sparsholt service 7 has a route and timetable revision due to demand levels. This means the hourly daytime service is reduced to five trips weekdays and four trips Saturdays. These trips will also serve Teg Down (replacing hourly service 4) for two trips in each direction.

Now my immediate concern is that for Concessionary Pass holders, the 0944 departure from Sparsholt College is now at 0920. I am not familiar enough to know whether many pass holders board between the college and St Stephens Church (at 0930), but that does mean that the next service is now not for three hours.

Service 16 between the City Centre and Houghton has a revised route and timetable to include some schools journeys for Danebury School. The service appears to now run via Harestock (the March Hare) instead of Weeke (Dean Lane Corner). This is a Hampshire County Council contract that has been saved from the cost cutting axe.

Service 64 to Alton has a change to the timetable and gains extra journeys. It looks like the service will increase to every 20 minutes during the morning and evening rush hour.

Service 69 – Route and Timetable Change

There are quite a few changes to service 69 along multiple parts of it’s route. The changes are fairly significant:

In Winchester the service will start in The Broadway (Stand 7) and run direct to Twyford via The Soke.
In Fareham the service will run from Wickham Square via Fareham Leisure Centre to West Street and Fareham Bus Station (no longer serving the Railway Station) – the return trip will run via West Street and Trinity Street.
This cuts the end to end trip time down by around 10 minutes, although it also means two significant changes to the route.

There is though an earlier trip from Winchester leaving at 0555, although late evening Friday and Saturday trips are largely unchanged. There are also new earlier trips from Wickham at 0617.

There is also a new full Sunday service which runs hourly along the full route to and from Fareham and extends to Winchester Railway Station. The last buses will leave Fareham at 1755 and an extra bus from Wickham at 1935.

There are also revised timetables on

Cross-city service 2 (Winnall – City – Stanmore) on Sundays
Service 3 to Harestock – mostly affecting weekends
Service 5 to Badger Farm with additional running time
Service 6 to Springvale
Service 66 to Hursley & Romsey with additional running time

These are positive changes

I am not sure I remember when, for example, the Winchester to Fareham service had such a full Sunday service and it might even be back in the days of when it run to Portsmouth!

There are no timetables appearing on the Stagecoach South website that I can see (insert a grumpy comment about the Stagecoach website being a pain here) but as soon as I see them I might get around to updating this page.

There are other service changes planned at other groups as well, apparently Bluestar have Nightbus changes! Are bus services on the rebound?

Source: https://hantsbus.blog/2025/07/new-school-year-stagecoach-south/

 

[LUYMun]

In some minor vehicle news, Basingstoke’s 27659 (GX10KZM) is on loan to Aldershot at the current moment, ahead of doing shuttles for next weekend’s British Motor Show at Farnborough.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Further to post #806 above, it has also now been made public that Hampshire County Council contracted routes 46 (Winchester to North Baddlesley) and 61 (Winchester to Eastleigh) will cease operation at the end of this month with no replacement.

Winchester area: Services 46 & 61 to be withdrawn
05 Aug 2025 to 30 Sep 2025
46 North Baddesley – Hiltingbury – Winchester
Following the end of the Hampshire County Council contract, this service will be withdrawn with no replacement. The last day of operation will be Friday 29th August 2025.

61 Eastleigh – Winchester
Following the end of the Hampshire County Council contract, this service will be withdrawn with no replacement. The last day of operation will be Saturday 30th August 2025.

Please use Traveline to plan your journeys and check for alternative options.

General Winchester Updated 07 Aug 2025, 09:08

Source: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/servi...rticle?SituationId=ID-05/08/2025-16:34:18:966

The commercial 9 which runs three ‘between-schools’ circulars of otherwise unserved parts of Alton is also being cancelled by Stagecoach, however local independent Cresta Coaches will operate a replacement to the same times but on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. I believe this will operate as route 209 and may be receiving some funding until the end of the year, so its longer term future is unclear.

9 (Alton - Manor Estate)
• Stagecoach will no longer run this service after Friday 29th August 2025. A limited replacement service will be offered by Cresta Coaches, running to the same timetable but on Tuesdays & Thursdays only.

Source: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/servi...rticle?SituationId=ID-29/04/2025-11:28:55:572

 

[alex397]

I had the pleasure of travelling on the Thanet Loop today. It’s remarkable that there’s a route in Kent running very frequently from early until late. Well done to Stagecoach for making it so successful.

However, every time I use it, there is a lot of bunching (largely caused by the awful Thanet traffic). After waiting for 25 minutes for one today (it has an 8 min frequency), I was squashed into a full and standing single-door bus with a very rude driver (for some reason I’ve always found Thanet drivers rather surly!). I really don’t understand why double-door buses are not considered for this high-frequency, frequently stopping route. Every single time the rammed bus stopped at a stop, all standing passengers had to awkwardly move to let people out, which leads to ridiculously long dwell times. It just really frustrates me that routes on the continent do not have this issue - passengers can be leaving by the second doors while drivers deal with the new passengers.

In my opinion, the Thanet Loop is a good example of why double doored buses would be far more suitable for certain routes in the UK. Why we persist with single door buses on such routes is just bewildering to me.

 

[Man of Kent]

I had the pleasure of travelling on the Thanet Loop today. It’s remarkable that there’s a route in Kent running very frequently from early until late. Well done to Stagecoach for making it so successful.

However, every time I use it, there is a lot of bunching (largely caused by the awful Thanet traffic). After waiting for 25 minutes for one today (it has an 8 min frequency), I was squashed into a full and standing single-door bus with a very rude driver (for some reason I’ve always found Thanet drivers rather surly!). I really don’t understand why double-door buses are not considered for this high-frequency, frequently stopping route. Every single time the rammed bus stopped at a stop, all standing passengers had to awkwardly move to let people out, which leads to ridiculously long dwell times. It just really frustrates me that routes on the continent do not have this issue - passengers can be leaving by the second doors while drivers deal with the new passengers.

In my opinion, the Thanet Loop is a good example of why double doored buses would be far more suitable for certain routes in the UK. Why we persist with single door buses on such routes is just bewildering to me.

Margate Pride rather disrupted Thanet's bus services today, with several road closures (some of which were implemented rather earlier than agreed). The open top 69 was running with delays of almost an hour at one point.

On the subject of dual door buses, an awful lot of infrastructure would have to be altered to accommodate the second door at Thanet's bus stops. More pertinently, it not only loses seats on board, but would also squeeze the space available for pushchairs. It's not uncommon for The Loop to have three on board simultaneously. Better really to try and tackle reliability, so that buses don't become so crowded in the first place.