Last updated: 11 November 2020

The Scania Omnicity single decks at Hoeford have recently had a renaissance, with thirteen examples returning to service. Once totalling twenty buses, the Scanias were purchased in late 2004 as the second renewal of buses for services along the A3 corridor, connecting Portsmouth, Cosham and Waterlooville. In recent years, their numbers have begun to dwindle. A number have been transferred away from Hoeford, either to Weymouth or down to Cornwall, while a small number have been scrapped or withdrawn from further passenger use.

November’s Photo of the Month casts time back to 25^th June 2008, with fleet number 65021 (YN54NZV) pictured on the stand at South Parade Pier in Southsea. 65021 was delivered carrying Overground Green Line route 40 branding, the livery of which it is pictured in here. The bus was in its last twelve months’ worth of service on route 40 when this shot was taken, as the third renewal of buses – the 2009 delivery of Volvo B7RLEs – would see all of the type cascaded to Hoeford early in the new year.

A lot has changed with the network since this photo was taken. Firstly, with the network renewals in late 2012, route 40 became route 7, which was then rebranded along with sister route 8 as ‘The Star’. Secondly, last year, the long-standing terminus of the 7 and 40 was changed from South Parade Pier, firstly to Winston Churchill Avenue, and then to Portsmouth City Centre in 2020. We are now on the fifth generation of buses for the A3 bus priority corridor with the latest ADL Enviro200MMCs that were introduced to service earlier this year as well. 65021, meanwhile, is one of the buses that have left Hoeford, and now operates from Weymouth depot under First Wessex branding.

(C) Copyright The Provincial Society

Registered Charity No. 1104834