Last updated: 09 January 2020

Clarence Pier in Southsea has always been an instantly-recognisable yet underused bus terminus in Southsea. Situated next to Southsea Hoverport, Clarence Pier is strange amongst piers in the United Kingdom in that it extends along the coast rather than out to sea. Initially opened in 1861 by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Clarence Pier re-opened in its current form in 1961 after being rebuilt following bomb damage during the Second World War. The bus terminus features three bus stops, plus an area where buses and coaches park out of service, along with the Hoverbus bus stop on the seafront. Currently, First service 8 – one of the Star services – serve Clarence Pier from Monday to Saturday, along with extensions on the X4 from Southampton and tendered Portsmouth city service 16 on Sundays and Bank Holidays. There are also a plethora of National Express coach departures throughout the day.

The 8 was extended from The Hard Interchange on Sundays with the network changes on September 2^nd, 2018; however, being a Sunday the first 8 did not arrive at Clarence Pier until Monday 3^rd. With a frequency of buses every 15 minutes, there is a regular service from The Hard, through Old Portsmouth to Clarence Pier. Star-branded Streetlites are the main allocation, and here I managed to get two for the price of one! Pictured against the tower and big wheel at Clarence Pier on 14^th September 2019, Streetlite Max 63050 (SK63KJE) is in the centre of the image, with sister 63046 (SK63KHX) on the centre stand. Both will head off to Clanfield in due course, with 63046 the first bus to depart shortly.

This shot, of course, will become history over the course of the next few weeks, with a large batch of ADL Enviro200 MMC buses due to Hilsea to replace these Streetlites on the Star services. We will bring you news, details and photographs in due course as these buses enter service.

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