It's never been easier to get the bus!
It's never been easier to get the bus - find out why here!
We have been working hard, along with Southampton City Council to make catching the bus easy and convenient and are consistently making improvements to our services across the city. Read on to find out why it's never been easier to get the bus:
The Bluestar App
Take control of your journey with the Bluestar app, helping you get from A to B with ease. Some great features include:
- Mobile tickets - no more searching for cash, just use your phone as your ticket.
- Journey planning - work out your daily commute or day trip in advance.
- Live bus tracking - check out where the bus is on the map or how far away it is from your stop.
- Service updates - keep up with service changes to see how your journey could be affected
Click here to download the Bluestar app today.
Low bus fares
All single bus fares are capped at just £2 until 31 December 2024, making the bus a really affordable option! We also have period tickets which offer great value for money and are ideal if you travel regularly. On top of this, if you travel after 6pm, single fares are just £1 on any route, in any zone.
Our 5 for £5 is back in time for Christmas. From Friday 15 November until Sunday 05 January, up to 5 people can travel in the Southampton Zone with this ticket for just £5! Click here to find out more.
Tap on tap off
Make use of tap on tap off for EASY, CONTACTLESS and PAPERLESS ticketing where the best fares will be automatically calculated for you. Simply TAP ON using the driver’s ticket machine at the start of each journey and TAP OFF at the end of each journey on the tap off reader located by the exit door, using a contactless payment method. There is no need to tell the driver where you are going, and you don’t need a paper ticket. This all helps to make boarding our buses easier and faster.
More journeys and new buses
Twice a year we make timetable improvements to make our buses more reliable and we've upped the frequency of many of our routes to give you more journeys! We've also invested almost £5 million in 16 brand new double deckers to help make sustainable transport more attractive. Enjoy comfy seats and USB chargers - plus they are far kinder to the environment. Did you know? One double decker bus has the potential to take 75 cars off the road.
New bus hub and better bus stops
As part of the transforming cities plan put into place by Southampton City and Hampshire County Councils, Albion Place/Castle Way has been transformed into a bus hub. There will be more available bus stops, a safe space with new waiting facilities including seating and live travel information and an urban park. This also improves access to our new Travel Shop which is located in the old round Shopmobility building on Castle Way. Bus stops across the city are also seeing improvements.
More bus lanes
There are now far more bus lanes around the city meaning that in certain areas, buses have priority over cars. This helps to reduce congestion in the city centre, speed up journey time and makes our services much more reliable.
A recent addition includes the bus priority improvements in Marchwood, funded by Hampshire County Council. This features a 300m bus lane which will greatly benefit the Bluestar 9. Plus frequency on this route, Monday to Friday, has been increased to every 20 minutes!
