Yellow Buses transformation

RATP Dev UK subsidiary, Yellow Buses, is to undergo what has been described as the ‘biggest transformation of its network in a decade’ next month. The Bournemouth based company is to introduce eight colour coded lines (Bourne, Priory, Uni, Royal, Village, Coast, Dolphin and Heath), which are intended to reflect its strong local connectivity and sense of community. Routes operating on each line with be denoted by the first letter of the name (for example, ‘R’ for Royal) followed by the service number, such as 1, 2, 3 or 4. All of the current 22 service numbers will change with the exception of four routes which are subsidised by Bournemouth Borough Council and the Borough of Poole. The new network will focus on key hubs, including the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Bournemouth University, while offering new off peak connections to destinations such as Mudeford, Verwood and Ringwood.

The new network takes effect from 15 January 2017 and reflects the changing life and work patterns of its customers as well as simplifying the network and addressing congestion. Extra early morning and late night services are being introduced on some routes to help transport workers at locations such as Bournemouth town centre, Poole town centre and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Journey times are also being revised on several routes in order to improve punctuality and reliability, while bus frequencies and timings are being simplified. New individual line timetables are now available and a single complete timetable booklet is planned for production in January.

MD, Andrew Smith, said, ‘Yellow Buses has proudly served Bournemouth and the surrounding area for 114 years, connecting local people and local communities. Our new network highlights that unique bond with the introduction of an even more customer orientated service using route names and clear colour coding. It’s a network designed for the needs of our customers in 2017 and we believe it will prove very popular.’