January bus strike for First Solent start this weekend - full list of services running

Bus drivers and supervisors from First Bus (Solent) who are members of the Unite union are set to strike every weekend of this month following on from their action over the festive period in a dispute over pay.

Strike dates by staff at the Hoeford bus depot will take place from January 11 and 12, 18 and 19 and 25 and 26, with First Bus apologising to its passengers for the disruption caused at weekends - with its weekday services set to be unaffected.

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First has made changes have been made to the timetables for services 1, 3, 5, 9 and E1/2 over the strike weekends to cope, although First Bus expects routes 2, 7, 8, 22, Hoverbus (H1) and the Portsmouth Park & Ride (PR1) service to operate as normal.

Changes are:

• Bus service number 1 (Southsea – The Hard) Buses will operate between approx. 9am and 6pm every 20-40 minutes on Saturdays but there will be no service on the Sundays.
• Bus service number 3 (Fareham – Portsmouth – Southsea) Buses will operate between Fareham and Cosham Health Centre only every 20-30 mins between approx. 6.30am and 9pm on the Saturdays. On the Sundays buses will operate between Fareham and Cosham Health Centre only every 30 mins between approx. 8.30am and 6.30pm
• Bus service number 5 (Fareham – Lee – Gosport) Buses will operate hourly between 7.30am and 6.30pm on the Saturdays. On the Sundays buses will operate a normal timetable except the 6pm departures which will not operate
• Bus service number 9 (Fareham – Rowner – Gosport) Buses will operate hourly between approx. 7.30am and 6.30pm on the Saturdays. On the Sundays buses will operate hourly between approx. 9am and 7pm
• Bus service number E1/E2 (Fareham – Brockhurst – Gosport) Each route will operate half hourly between 7am and 8pm with a combined 15-minute frequency between Fareham and Fort Brockhurst on the Saturdays. On the Sundays each route will operate half hourly between 7.30am and 6.30pm with a combined 15-minute frequency between Fareham and Fort Brockhurst

The first set of strikes last month also forced First Bus to make changes to its timetables and reduce some services.

Picket lines are expected to be in place at the Hoeford bus depot in Fareham.

Stagecoach services are unaffected by the strike action.