Plan Agreed to Run Integrated Bus Services with Hayling Ferry in September

Customers wanting to travel on public transport between Portsmouth and Hayling Island will be able to do so much more easily from Monday 24 September. Hayling Ferry, First Solent, Portsmouth and Havant Councils have agreed to launch an integrated public transport service which connects bus services with the Hayling Ferry as part of a six- month trial.

First Solent will extend their service 15 to the ferry landing area in Eastney, where customers can board the Hayling ferry and make the 300-metre boat trip to Hayling Island. A community bus can transport passengers across the island, if required.

The linked service will initially operate hourly Monday to Friday. Buses will depart Eastney Point (Portsmouth side) on the hour between 7am and 4pm, with the last buses departing at 5.14pm and 6.14pm. The service may be extended to cover Saturdays and holiday periods depending on take-up.

The Hayling Ferry service, from Ferry Point on Hayling Island to Eastney Point in Portsmouth was launched in 2016. A long-awaited integrated transport plan came a step closer in July when Havant councillors approved funding for a community bus service to the ferry. Providing this bus link was crucial in order for First to take the commercial risk of extending the bus service to the ferry point on the Portsmouth side.

The parties have agreed to run the service for a period of six months, at which point it will be evaluated. If the service proves to be viable both commercially and in terms of punctuality, it will be extended by another six months in order to determine the long-term future of the service.