The recent First Solent press release indicates two frequency reductions Monday to Friday in the region. The Portsmouth route 2, connecting Paulsgrove with Portsmouth via Cosham and Copnor, drops from every 10 minutes to every 12 minutes, whereas, more significantly, the Solent Rangers are dropped on weekdays to an hourly service, each combining over common sections to give a frequency of every 30 minutes.
This is a disappointing move from First - the Solent Rangers X4 and X5 connect Portsmouth with Southampton and offer the only services from Fareham in to Southampton, via Locks Heath and Warsash. What makes this more disappointing is that the service level is now below the 2012 network First Solent network re-organisation, and returns to the levels of service during the Covid pandemic.
A brief history...
Former Hong Kong Dennis Dart SLF 40961 (S474 TJX), pictured on the last day of route 80 on 21st April 2012
In 2012, along with the introduction of the Eclipse services along the brand new BRT link between Fareham and Gosport, the company took the opportunity to recast the network. This was done in two stages - one change in April, with another, larger change following in December. In April, out went route 57 (hourly, Portsmouth to Warsash via Fareham), 72 (hourly, between Gosport and Southampton), and route 80 (half-hourly, Fareham to Southampton). These long-standing routes had existing in one form or another for over two decades.
In came the 4, 4A and X4:
- the 4 a direct replacement for the 72
- the 4A, a new hourly link between Fareham and Southampton, via Warsash
- the X4, a new half-hourly route connecting Southampton with Fareham via the old 80 route, before continuing on to Portsmouth along the roads of the former peak-only route X57.
The routes were introduced alongside the Olympia / Urban / Marmite colours, with eight Dart SLFs receiving the colours...
A departure every 15 minutes from Southampton was co-ordinated to Locks Heath, via either Warsash (4, 4A) or Park Gate (X4), where the 4 split off to Gosport, and the X4 and 4A continued to Fareham.
The Solent Ranger network was then recast again in April 2014. The four departures an hour from Southampton were maintained, but the 4 and 5 (previously route 34 were combined, bringing an end to a direct, fast route between Southampton and Gosport - the newly introduced X5 first heading to Fareham, before then completing a modified route 5 to Gosport. The advantages - the more lucrative corridor between Fareham and Southampton was enhanced with another bus; the disadvantages were poorer connections for Locks Heath, Stubbington and Lee on Solent. It was branded, at the time, that a connection could be made at Fareham on to the Eclipse, which would ensure a quicker journey.
In Autumn 2015, saw a major upgrade, as the X4 and X5 settled in to this pattern. The existing variety of Scanias and Volvos were replaced by a delivery of seventeen brand new Wright Streetlite Max in a bespoke livery for the services. This was the first batch of buses new to the corridor - possibly ever, or at least since the days of a few coach-seated Leyland Nationals in the 1980s.
Streetlite Max 63300 pictured leaving Gosport, departing for Southampton, but unlike the previous route 72 or route 4, firstly heading for Fareham. Pictured on 16th August 2016 during its first year in service.
The frequency of the X4 and X5 remained half-hourly, combining across common sections of the route to provide four buses an hour between Fareham and Southampton. On Sundays, the X4 in to Portsmouth was even extended to Clarence Pier. The route appeared to be going from strength to strength - indeed, it was rumoured, although never confirmed, that double deck buses were due in 2020 to upgrade the Solent Ranger route again - reportedly the ones that later, in 2022, went to Weston-super-Mare in Badgerline colours - although this was never confirmed.
Then, six years ago, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The X4 and X5 were reduced each to hourly. Initially operating on a Sunday frequency, the X4 saw curious extensions to Clarence Pier and the Hovertravel terminal daily, but these were soon curtailed. During the Covid period, Eclispe-branded Enviro200MMCs dropped on to the services too, becoming the main bus type to operate the service for a time between April and May 2020.
With one passenger on board, and pre-mandatory wearing of masks, Enviro 67179 heads to Clarence Pier on 9th April 2020.
After a time, the X4 and X5 returned on a weekday frequency of every 40 minutes - combining across common sections to serve every 20 minutes. Weekends remained hourly each, combining to every half hour.
In 2024, services improved further - the X5 was re-routed from Gosport to Fareham, providing buses every 20 minutes throughout between Portsmouth and Southampton. Route 5 between Fareham and Gosport was reintroduced, operating at a half-hourly Monday to Saturday frequency. Further, late X4s were also provided between Fareham and Portsmouth using BSIP funding, bringing more efficient later connections in.
However, the most significant improvement was the introduction of 62 Wright GB Kite Electroliner single decks, electrifying the route and replacing the existing Streetlites. The branding also saw the removal of the Solent Ranger branding, although the bus stops ironically received new Solent-style Solent Ranger branding at the time.
The X4 and X5 have been extended from Southampton Castle Way to the central railway station. Utilising the refurbished 'south side' termimus, Kite 63671 stands between journeys, the display set for a return to Portsmouth, on 1st August 2024.
Unfortunately, it does not appear that the passenger numbers stack up. From Monday 13th April, the three buses an hour are being reduced to two buses an hour, meaning the service level is broadly the same across every day - each X4 and X5 operates hourly Monday to Sunday.
Compared to 2012:
- there are the same number of buses per hour between Fareham, Locks Heath and Southampton.
- there are the same number of buses per hour between Fareham and Warsash.
- there are still two additional fast buses per hour between Fareham and Portsmouth.
- there are no buses now connecting Gosport, Lee-on Solent and Stubbington with Locks Heath and Southampton.
- buses operating the routes were approximately sixteen years old in 2012; they are two years old now, having had two batches of buses delivered during that time to upgrade services.
- half the number of services at the peak of the Solent Ranger services.
As ever, some areas have improved whereas others appear to have become poorer in that time. The age, presentation, and environmentally-friendly credentials of the fleet have undoubtedly improved. However, the frequency reductions and need to change buses at Fareham for Gosport are a retrograde step. Meanwhile, Hoeford's fleet of double deck Streetdecks appear to be far more regularly used on the X4 and X5 at present - it remains to be seen if the reduction in frequency will lead to older buses with greater capacity being used. Let's see where the story of the Solent Rangers moves next.
Streetdeck 35139 (SN65 OMF) heads for Warsash on an early evening X5 on 2nd July 2025.
