The X43 is back!

Last year, First Hants & Dorset, Wilts & Dorset and Dorset County Council reintroduced the link between Swanage and Weymouth, but introducing route X43. Route X43 was a summer holidays only service, which connected the two seaside towns via Corfe Castle, Wool, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, amongst other places.

The route was joint operated by both First Hants & Dorset and Wilts & Dorset, using some of their respective finest double deckers. Here Scania Omnidekka 36006 (YN05HGA) loads passengers for Swanage, pictured at Weymouth's King's Statue last summer.

This year it is all different. First have introduced a commercial X43 service, running three times a day from Weymouth to Monkey World, serving Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. I managed to photograph former First Provincial Volvo B10BLE 66156 (S356XCR) on this slightly shortened route. Loadings from Weymouth on the midday departure were decent enough - approximately 10-15 passengers boarded this service, which ultimately won't carry those who go for the whole day out. I would expect the peak departures to be busier, although I have no evidence to back this up.

Go South Coast have won the tendered route from Swanage to Weymouth, again at four departures a day. Wilts & Dorset operate two of these departures from either end, with a bus based from Swanage depot (outstationed for the service from Poole). For today, it was DAF SB250/Optare Spectra 3183 (HJ52VFZ).

New for this year is the introduction of Damory to the route. Damory are working in partnership with their fellow Go South Coast company to operate the journeys operated by First, last year. This brings Damory buses into service work in Weymouth for the first time*. Identical to the bus above, here DAF SB250 3171 (Y171FEL) arrives in Weymouth on Damory's turn of the X43. Incidentally, 3171 doesn't actually have Weymouth or Wool on the blind, so has to use pieces of paper. None of Damory's Spectras have LED displays yet.

The X43 certainly adds to the Weymouth bus scene this year, and brings a rare piece of variety to the town. The Go South Coast X43 operates daily, but the First X43 only Mon-Fri. For those interested in photographing the buses, the same bus operates the First X43 all day (barring breakdowns), and Wilts do the 0930 + 1430 ex Swanage, and the 1205 and 1705 ex-Weymouth, with Damory doing the 1230 + 1730 ex Swanage, and the 1005 and 1505 ex-Weymouth.

Thank you for reading.

* Damory have also recently won the 253 Beaminster - Weymouth contract for one journey a day Monday-Friday. Former Marchwood + BlueStar DAF V710LWT seems to be the main bus used on this service.