700 Portsmouth to Brighton

[route101]

It looks like this route is split. Is it possible to go by bus between the two?

 

[carlberry]

It looks like this route is split. Is it possible to go by bus between the two?

Yes. Assuming the current timetables are actually split (sometimes they're shown as split to cover EU rules). Portsmouth to Chichester or Bognor Regis every 30 minutes, Chichester or Bognor Regis to Littlehampton every 30 minutes then Littlehampton to Brighton every 12 minutes.

 

[E-Rail]

I believe the routes are operationally split these days too so change of buses are required now.

Far cry from the late 90s when you could go from Dover to Portsmouth with Stagecoach South changing only in Brighton.

 

[duncombec]

The route has been split into three sections as Carl says in post #2 for some years now (since at least 2016). You may be able to hunt down some timetables in the web archive (archive.org) that will give you a precise date.

I believe the EU has nothing to do with the change, rather more to do with traffic congestion on such an immensely long route, and enabling resources to be better balanced (which is why there are more buses at the eastern end and a section in the middle than at the western end.

It is for similar reasons that the Kent & East Sussex end was split into sections. Reliability and resources.

 

[E-Rail]

The route has been split into three sections as Carl says in post #2 for some years now (since at least 2016). You may be able to hunt down some timetables in the web archive (archive.org) that will give you a precise date.

I believe the EU has nothing to do with the change, rather more to do with traffic congestion on such an immensely long route, and enabling resources to be better balanced (which is why there are more buses at the eastern end and a section in the middle than at the western end.

It is for similar reasons that the Kent & East Sussex end was split into sections. Reliability and resources.

Originally the route was split as a result of the EU Driving Hours Regulations. Until 2007, the UK had a dispensation that allowed drivers of routes over 50km to carry with them a 2 week extract of the duty roster instead of having to use a tachograph. This was the method used by operators to avoid fitting manual tachographs which were completely unpractical, for both drivers and service vehicles which saw multiple drivers over the course of the day. Drivers were usually on self contained depot EU rosters and were subject to the same weekly and daily rest and break rules as those using tachos. Some operators in the late 90s, however, opted to split routes that were uneconomical to operate under EU rules and drivers on those routes remained under the Domestic Driving Regulations. In 2007, the dispensation was removed and any work or route 'in scope' of EU Driving Regulations required the use of tachographs. Although the newly introduced digital tachographs were more suited to bus operations than the analogue charts were, the units were costly and the record keeping for both drivers and vehicles was time consuming. This was why in 2007, most routes over 50km were split into shorter 'domestic' routes.

There are other reasons for route splits too though, and where services cross borders, ENCTS reimbursement rates are a deciding factor. By splitting The Wave routes at Rye, and physically forcing a change a bus for previously 'through' passengers, the operator can receive a reimbursement from both councils as opposed to only the council in which the trip originated.

 

[ajs]

Think the 700 route between Southsea and Brighton was split up into the 3 separate sections May 2014. At that time as well the bus terminated at The Hard, Portsmouth by the dockyard and Harbour Station whereas it used to continue to Southsea.

Pre Covid 19, some of the evening 700s going to Portsmouth, used to morph into a service 23 bus for the journey to Portsmouth via Cosham, which the 700 omitted by running fast along the A27 between Havant and Hilsea. They may still do but have not looked at the timetables for a while.

 

[DJ_K666]

The 700 was historically a limited stop service in Southdown days with routes 230, 231 and 232, the idea being that you'd use the 700 to get near where you wanted to go, Chichester, for example, and then change to a 232 to go to your destination. It took 2 hours or so from Brighton to Portsmouth, after deregulation one run was operated by Brighton & Hove and the whole day's work was one return trip. If you were lucky they'd let you use a coach. It's a shadow of its former self now though, just like that horrid desert known as Pool Valley.

 

[route101]

Will look into doing this journey at somepoint . Was thinking going train one way and bus other, just for variety.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Beemax]

The 700 was historically a limited stop service in Southdown days with routes 230, 231 and 232, the idea being that you'd use the 700 to get near where you wanted to go, Chichester, for example, and then change to a 232 to go to your destination. It took 2 hours or so from Brighton to Portsmouth, after deregulation one run was operated by Brighton & Hove and the whole day's work was one return trip. If you were lucky they'd let you use a coach. It's a shadow of its former self now though, just like that horrid desert known as Pool Valley.

In the late 80s the B&H bus was often an East Lancs bodied Scania decker, quite a strikingly modern bus in those days when everything else in Pompey was either a Transit minibus or, at best, a VR or mk 1 National.

 

[DJ_K666]

Indeed. Scanias 701 and 718 are now preserved by either Brighton and Hove or ex-B&H drivers. They first appeared in 1988

https://showbus.com/p2004/f718lfg.JPG