How about "Beep! Bus"
This was, I believe, operated by Solent Blue Line/Bluestar (not sure which name they were using at the time) to compete against the newly introduced Velvet Transport route 'B' from the Chandlers Ford estates (Hiltingbury, Valley Park, etc) to Southampton.
Beep! buses ran at about the same time as Velvet buses and were also route 'B'.
Some time later, both route 'B's disappeared and Velvet, the company, disappeared also. Round here we seem to have a tradition of new companies ambitiously running new, more esoteric routes - but sadly they are never commercially successful (both Velvet and Wheelers did the same kind of thing - Wheelers at one time offering an hourly to Romsey via Chilworth, something that hadn't otherwise existed since at least 1989).
Despite the fact that in in the late 80s/early 90s - perhaps most of the 90s, in fact - there was a regular route 45 (half-hourly) from the Chandlers Ford area estates into Southampton, no-one seems to have made a success of this route since. That wasn't the only effort to bring the service back, we also had Wheelers W2 for a short period more recently.
Yes, I definitely didn't see the "HEREFORD HOPPER" branding.
This was, I believe, operated by Solent Blue Line/Bluestar (not sure which name they were using at the time) to compete against the newly introduced Velvet Transport route 'B' from the Chandlers Ford estates (Hiltingbury, Valley Park, etc) to Southampton.
Beep! buses ran at about the same time as Velvet buses and were also route 'B'.
Some time later, both route 'B's disappeared and Velvet, the company, disappeared also. Round here we seem to have a tradition of new companies ambitiously running new, more esoteric routes - but sadly they are never commercially successful (both Velvet and Wheelers did the same kind of thing - Wheelers at one time offering an hourly to Romsey via Chilworth, something that hadn't otherwise existed since at least 1989).
Despite the fact that in in the late 80s/early 90s - perhaps most of the 90s, in fact - there was a regular route 45 (half-hourly) from the Chandlers Ford area estates into Southampton, no-one seems to have made a success of this route since. That wasn't the only effort to bring the service back, we also had Wheelers W2 for a short period more recently.
Depending on the number of adverts applied, you could be forgiven for not knowing they were Hereford Hoppers (credit to photographer)
Yes, I definitely didn't see the "HEREFORD HOPPER" branding.
Last edited:
