Hampshire buses

County advice overview

There are several bus operators within Hampshire, each providing guidance regarding travelling with a disability on their website. If you have restricted mobility, it is always best to check with the operator if you are taking a journey for the first time. 

Bus passes are issued by the local authority area in which you live. Residents of Southampton or Portsmouth should contact those unitary authorities. Residents of all other areas in Hampshire should contact Hampshire County Council.

My Journey Hampshire can help with advice about travel choices in your area that may result in saving you time and money. 

Key tips 

If you have reduced mobility, or a disability, where possible plan your journey in advance so that you know:

• If the destination stop is accessible, and any arrangements you may need to make for onward travel
• Which mobility aids you will be travelling with. (Contact the bus provider if you are unsure whether you can travel with your scooter/wheelchair.)

It may also be worth considering:

• Where the nearest bus stop is and which bus number you will need
• What method of payment is accepted
• If the ticket can be bought online
• Which destination stop you need. (The bus driver should be happy to help.)

If you are a frequent traveller, but not eligible for a bus pass, the Solent Go is a handy travelcard which you top up as you go. It can be used on buses and ferries throughout South Hampshire.

Operators

Stagecoach

www.stagecoachbus.com

Run local bus services across Hampshire.

First Bus (City Reds and Solent)

www.firstbus.co.uk/southampton

Is the major provider of local bus services in Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham, Waterlooville and Gosport.

Blue Star Buses

www.bluestarbus.co.uk

Provide services across South Hampshire, to and from Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton, Hedge End, Totton, Romsey and Fawley.

All Blue Star buses are accessible with ramps as standard on all vehicles. Some bus stops have lower curbs. There are priority seats near the front of the bus.

Xelabus

www.xelabus.info

Based in Eastleigh, but with a wide network of bus routes in the South Hampshire area including Southampton, Hamble, Fair Oak, Bishops Waltham, Gosport, Fareham and parts of the New Forest.

Help with cost 

Older Person’s Bus Pass

Concessionary bus passes are available for older people who have reached state pension age and are resident in Hampshire. The Older Person’s Bus Pass entitles you to free travel on bus services throughout England from 9.30am to 11pm, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays.

• Residents of Hampshire, not including Southampton or Portsmouth, can apply via Hampshire County Council.
• Residents of Southampton can apply on a SmartCities card via Southampton City Council.
• Residents of Portsmouth can apply via Portsmouth City Council. 

The use of this pass on community transport services is an enhancement to the national scheme and is only available to Hampshire residents (excluding Southampton and Portsmouth) for journeys taking place within the county.

Disabled Person’s Bus Pass

If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass. There is no upper age restriction. Information on eligibility is available on the Hampshire County Council website. 

• If you live in Hampshire, not including Southampton or Porstmouth, you can apply for a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass using this link.
• If you live in Southampton, you can apply using this link. 
• If you live in Portsmouth, you can apply using this link. 

Travel vouchers

Travel vouchers are for disabled people who are unable to use a bus service but are able to use taxi transport. They are an alternative to the Disabled Person’s Bus Pass for Hampshire residents making journeys within the county. You cannot have both. 

• You will receive £36 worth of travel vouchers per year or pro-rated if you apply during the year. Vouchers can only be used up to 31 March each year of allocation.
• They can be used on journeys which start or finish in Hampshire.
• Travel vouchers do not entitle you to discounted fares, you will need to pay the full fare for all services. 
  Travel vouchers can only be applied for by post via an application form. More information is available via this link. 

To use community transport services, it is recommended you apply for a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass. Travel vouchers are not available to Southampton or Portsmouth residents.

Special assistance

First Bus has produced cards called Extra Help to Travel Cards and Safe Journey Cards for people who have a disability to use on their buses. They are available from travel shops or you can download one using the links below.

• Extra Help to Travel Cards
• Safe Journey Cards

Travelling with mobility equipment

Wheelchairs

All First Bus and Blue Star buses, and most Stagecoach buses, are built for easy-access with low floors. 

All low-floor buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair users. When your low-floor bus arrives at the bus stop you can ask the driver to lower the step or ramp to allow you to board.

Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely. If the bus is full or there is already a wheelchair on board it may not be possible to carry another.

Mobility scooter

All users of mobility scooters who are prospective passengers must obtain prior approval from the operators and obtain a standard “permit for travel” prior to their scooter being carried on any bus. Mobility scooter users must be assessed and receive on-bus training from the operator before travelling on the bus for the first time. Read more about the use and acceptance of Mobility Scooters on low floor buses here

Assistance dogs

All recognised guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed to travel for free on all Hampshire buses.

Routes and timetable links

When planning a journey by bus, things to consider might be “Where is my nearest bus stop?” and “What bus number do I need?”. You may also want to think about buying your ticket, what it will cost, can you pay by cash or card and can you buy it in advance online. Be aware that online tickets for buses are often non-refundable, if you cannot make your journey.

Buses can only stop at marked bus stops, so you need to be sure where you are getting off in advance. If you are not sure, the bus driver should be happy to help you. Ask the driver to let you know when your stop is coming up. You may need to consider if the nearest bus stop is accessible, if you are travelling with a scooter or wheelchair.

Local bus providers have journey planners and will be able to help you with information about your journey.

Timetables

Traveline is a public transport information and journey planning service and is a partnership of transport companies, local authorities and passenger groups which have come together to bring you routes and times for all travel in Great Britain by bus, rail, coach and ferry and to provide it in as many different ways as possible.

You can use Traveline to plan your journey and find timetables, before you travel or during your journey. 

Contact: 0871 200 22 33 

The national NextBuses website will help you search for bus timetables and your nearest bus stop. You can put in your postcode to find your nearest stop and the next bus due.

SMS text: For live and scheduled arrival information for specific bus stops, text the short code (for example, brkdwtg) shown on the information panel at that stop to 84268 (a charge applies for each return text, on top of the cost of the customer’s initial text message request.)

The BusTimes.org website also provides bus, coach and ferry transport information – (under the heading ‘Map’, select Track buses and find bus stops). From here you can track buses across the UK, access timetables and next departure information, view maps, bus stop details and more.