Solent’s new X3 gives a 40 minute saving

Tuesday 4th August 2026 Another route added to Britain’s expanding bus scene is First Solent’s brand new X3 providing a quicker journey between Fareham, Portsmouth Harbour and Southsea than the all stops route 3 which the company runs between the same towns. First Bus introduced the new route last Monday with buses completing the end to end journey from Fareham’s bus station to Southsea’s South Parade Pier via Portsmouth The Hard Interchange in around 48-50 minutes offering a significant time saving for passengers compared to route 3’s equivalent 88-90 minutes. It’s a bit like TfL’s Superloop upgrade compared to parallel slower routes. The time saving here has been achieved by routing buses on the X3 via the M275, as happens on longer standing routes X4 and X5 (Southampton-Fareham-Portsmouth), instead of via the Queen Alexandra Hospital and through Cosham, Hilsea and North End – the route taken by buses on service 3. Route X3’s frequency is every 30 minutes with an extensive…