First Hants & Dorset once had a sizeable fleet of VRTs, but now the fleet is down to one open top examples down at Weymouth. Numbered 39971, MOD571P was 500 and previously 594 at Provincial after being transferred to People's Provincial to Western National. It has also just receieved a new coat of fleet livery and looks very smart.

First Hampshire & Dorset acquired 7 second hand Darts with Alexander Dash bodywork from First Leeds back in 2005. All were initially allocated to Portswood, but since then 40623 has moved to Hoeford. Now only 5 remain (1 in reserve), 40623 at Hoeford and 40616/28/9 at Portswood.

In 2007, First Hampshire & Dorset acquired 3 Darts with Northern Counties Paladin bodywork from First Manchester, in part exchange for 5 Volvo B10BLEs which went off to fight the Chester bus war. They are in service from Hoeford, and arrived with 2 Olympians (34021/2) and a Pointer/Dart to replace the B10BLEs. Since then, 40625 has been scrapped and 40250 is withdrawn at Portswood, leaving only 40262 in regular service.

A brand new collection for the Dennis Darts with Plaxton Pointer bodywork allocated to Dorset, within the First Hants & Dorset operation. These Darts are 46210, now withdrawn, and a further batch which originated with London, 46733-7. Photos will be allocated here in an attempt to make them easier to find and allow better viewing.

This collection contains pictures I have taken of Dennis Darts with Plaxton Pointer bodywork that operate within the First Hants & Dorset area. There are three details:

- The majority of step-entry Darts that operate with FHD are allocated to Hoeford, with most having originated with Southampton Citybus. They are in the early stages of withdrawal now, with a number having already been withdrawn at the time of writing. The majority are still in service though.

- Portswood depot operated 3 ex-First Manchester Darts, numbered 40292, 40297 and 40298, all illustrated at the top of this gallery. These have since been withdrawn.

- Long withdrawn+scrapped were 10 CNG powered Darts, all allocated to Portswood. They are pictured at the end of this gallery, and were withdrawn in 2006.

People's Provincial's last new batch of buses came in the form of 7 Dennis Dart 9.8m examples bodied by the local UVG facility. These are the only examples in the whole of First, other than a low floor batch in Glasgow.

All UVG bodied Darts are now in corporate livery- 47304 is the sole example in Barbie 2 whereas 47301/2/3/6/7 are to be found in the new Barbie livery. 47305 has been withdrawn and scrapped, but thus far all the others remain in service.

First Hants & Dorset operate one Dart SLF with Caetano Nimbus bodywork - it operates from Weymouth depot and predominantly operates route 2 or route 8. It has had previous spells with First Midland Red, Potteries and Bath.

First Hants & Dorset own 10 ex-London Dennis Dart SLFs with Marshall Capital bodywork. 41136/7 (P136/7NLW) were acquired first in summer 2003 and originally allocated to Hoeford, numbered 643/4. In Autumn 03 these were joined by 41634/8 (R634/8VLX), numbered 635/6 originally before the national scheme was introduced.

In February 2004, all moved to Hilsea for use on route 6. They were joined by 6 others, and originally all except 41633/6 (R633/6VLX) wore branding for Blue Line 6. Now, 41136 and 41633/6 do not wear branding, while 41638/46 have an all over advert.

In September 2007, 41165/6 (R165/6TLM) were acquired from First Beeline for extentions to route 8 and new route 25 in Hedge End. These have sinced moved to Hilsea to focus the whole type at one depot.

Pictures of the earlier Pointer 1 Darts at within First Hants & Dorset. Southampton had 42404-7 (P404-7KOW) from new. There are other Pointer 1 bodied SLFs in the Dart SLFs from Dorset which were acquired from London and Yorkshire.

First Hants & Dorset received two batches of Dennis Dart SLFs from First in Glasgow during 2006. The first batch that entered service was 40822-7 (R642-7DUS), with 40823/4 going to Hoeford immediately and the others to Portswood. Since then, all remaining DUS examples have moved to Hoeford depot.

The others were a larger batch, made up of 40784-95 (R288-99GHS), of which all are allocated to Portswood. Various examples appear in this collection, although I haven't managed to photograph them all yet.

Portswood had a large batch of Dennis Dart SLFs new in 1997. These are still in service and registerd R408-27WPX.

R415WPX, numbered 41515 has been the only one to leave Portswood thus far, now allocated to Hoeford depot. All the others remain, and the batch are slowly receiving internal refurbishments and exterior repaints, making them look very smart.

In the first years of First Provincial, Hoeford took deliveries of a large batch of Dennis Dart SLF/Pointer 2 from new. The first was a R---YCR batch of which now is spread over First. R608YCR is in Yorkshire, with R610YCR with First Midland Red. All others are still present, and allocated to Hoeford depot. They usually are found operating routes 3, 5, 57 and 72.

All S reg Dart SLFs at Hoeford have been moved - go to the bottom of this page for links (or if you are on the FHD photo area, scroll down a little).

First in Dorset operate two batches of Dennis Dart SLF/Pointer 2 that originated in Dorset at the very start of their working life. The first batch was the S---KPR batch, made up of S817-23KPR, originally bought and allocated to route 31 (Weymouth to Axminster), on which most appear in this gallery. They have since moved onto route 10, amongst others, and can be found on a variety of routes.

The second batch was a T---AFX batch, allocated predominantly to Blue Line route 2 (Weymouth - Littlemoor). These buses gained Barbie 2 livery fairly quickly in their working life, but now wear Barbie 1. I don't have many photos of this batch, but enjoy what I have!

This collection contains the following batches of Dennis Dart SLF - all allocated to Hoeford depot:
42124-34 (S624-34KTP) acquired new
42135-42 (S635-42XCR) acquired new
42728 (T728REU) acquired in 2005 from First S&A

42124/5 were former red line 1 livered buses, and now joine 42728 being unbranded. All other buses in this collection are branded with Gosport-Fareham Connection branding for routes 82, 83, 85 and 86.

First Hants & Dorset acquired 4 brand new ADL Enviro200 Dart SLFs for route 16 (Southampton to Hamble, with 16A extending to Hedge End & Eastleigh) early in 2009, intended to replace previous ADL Dart MPDs already operating on the 16. They received branding at the start of April, and now all are in service. I have photographed every bus in the fleet thus far.

Weymouth depot is the Leyland Olympian capital of FHD. Weymouth operates 5 ex-First London Leyland Olympians with Northern Counties bodywork, 2 ex-First Avon/Bristol and 1 ex-Eastern National example in the form of C414HJN. Portswood depot also presently operates former Bristol example 34628 (K628LAE), pictured in this gallery.

Past Olympians:
34989, 34990 - Portswood, former Southampton Citybus East Lancs bodied Olympians
30050, 30056 - Hoeford, former First PMT
34756, 34757 - Portswood/Hoeford, former Western National/Badgerline
34786 - Weymouth, former First Manchester
34810 - Hoeford, former Essex, sister to 34814
an assortion of ex-Badgerline Roe bodied Olympians at Weymouth & Bridport

The only large concentrations of Mercedes minibus operation are now Hoeford and Hilsea - and these depots only operate a handful of these buses. Hoeford's mainly operate the Fareham town services routes 31, 33, 35, 93, 94 and 95, while Hilsea's tend to either operate Portsmouth city services 13, 14, 15 or Cosham town services. Dorset and Portswood have operated many different examples in the past, but these have now all been withdrawn.

First Hampshire & Dorset operate Varios from three depots. Weymouth/Bridport received a batch new to Southern National, but since some have moved to Hilsea (52601/2/5) but all others are on the verge of scrapping. Some ex-Glasgow Varios are now in service, which I haven't photographed yet. From Portswood - 2 ex-Midland Red examples (52533/55, S533/955RWP). These are usually found on routes 14, 21 or Park and Rides - further more there are now 2 ex-Essex Marshall bodied Varios in service. Finally, from Hilsea, 3 original Southern National examples (R501/2NPR), 3 ex West Yorkshire (R405WWR, S406/9GUB), 5 ex Midland Red examples (S513/7/58-60RWP) and finally the newest additions, Marshall Master bodied 52580/1/3 (V430/1/3GTW).

Miscellaneous photographs of buses that are unique/semi- unique within First Hants & Dorset, together with other random FHD photographs that I have taken.

First Hants & Dorset have owned 6 new Optare Solos from new, with 5 more acquired from First West Yorkshire during the last few years also.

Weymouth operate 3 (50270-2), and Bridport operate one Slimline version (53802). Hoeford operate 50277/8 and Hilsea operate 53131/40. 53131, 53140 and 53801 have been acquired from new whereas the others are from West Yorkshire. 53031-3 have now left FHD.

In late 2004, First Hampshire + Dorset purchased 20 Scania Omnicites for use on routes 40 and 41. Initially, all were allocated to Hilsea, and had a selection of Barbie, Overground and Zip liveries. However, in 2009, following the arrival of Volvo B7RLEs at Hilsea, they all moved to Hoeford and were debranded, now appearing on routes 1, 3 and 5 predominantly.

Also includes photos of the now departed 65704, used for the X54 before the arrival of Volvo B9TL double deckers, and 62408, part of a batch of 5 Scanias acquired on loan from First Essex in 2003 to upgrade service X53.

In 2004 First Hampshire & Dorset received 5 brand new Scania L94UDs with East Lancs Omnidekka bodywork. These were registered YN04GNV/X/Y/Z with YN04GLV and work the Jarrasic Coastlinx X53 route, in a special livery. Further example YN05HGA has been purchased in 2005 to act as a float vehicle effectively; to substitute on X53, but can also be found on any other route from Weymouth depot pretty much.

In 2008, these were replaced by brand new Volvo B9TL double deckers - yet to be photographed in service - and now wear a new livery and are allocated to route 31. Photos will come sometime this year.

First Hants & Dorset took in 5 Volvo B10M single deckers from First Sheffield late in 2008, replacing the Lynxes. Some received repaints and internal refurbishments, which suggests that we will have the pleasure of these buses for a few more years. So far I have 60522 and 60527 in service and a couple in the depot- hopefully more to follow.

In 1998-9, 6 Volvo B10BLEs were delivered brand new for Portswood. These were numbered 116-21 (S116-21JTP) and 122 (S122UOT), but with the merger of Provincial and Citybus they became 1116-22. 1118-22 were branded for Overground Brown Line 8 in 2003.

In 2004 they were renumbered 66121/2/6-30 (S121JTP, S122UOT, S116-20JTP). Later that month 66126 (S116JTP) moved to First Bradford- which will no longer feature in this gallery. Furthermore 66121 has moved to Hilsea depot - but this will continue to feature in this gallery (see recent photos!)

Most of the Volvo B10BLEs allocated to First in Hampshire & Dorset are now allocated to Hoeford depot. 2 batches make up this collection - the initial S---NPO/XCR batch. I have now combined the Hilsea and Hoeford photos together for easy browsing- note changes to collection when you have a look.

For the S---RWG batch from Sheffield, see their own gallery.

In summer 2003, First Hants & Dorset acquired a batch of Volvo B10BLEs from First in South Yorkshire to replace aging Leyland Nationals. Most received orange line 17/8 branding, but 66199-205 still remain in ordinary Barbie livery. 66191-5 have recently been transferred to Manchester.

All the remaining ex-Sheffield Volvos have been upgraded with orange LED displays and are, at present, being repainted into plain corporate livery. 66204 + 66205 are the most recent repaints - they also have had a refurbished interior and are looking very smart.

First Hants & Dorset had a new batch of Volvo B10BLEs delivered in 2000 for routes 40/1 in Portsmouth, originally allocated to Hilsea depot. These were numbered and registered 364-81 (W364-81EOW) minus 370, 375, 380 and followed on from the batch of Volvos delivered 2 years beforehand. In 2004 Scania Omnicities came in and displaced these buses off the 40/1 and they went onto new surroundings:
- 364/376/381 to Hoeford
- 365/368/369/377/379 to Eastern Counties
- the rest to Somerset & Avon
These buses are numbered 661** - the ** indicate the last two digits of the registration. This occured in late 2003/early 2004 as part of the fleet renumbering scheme.

First Hants & Dorset own a number of Volvo B10M coaches, which are mainly allocated to driver training duties or rail replacement. There are a couple at Hoeford, a number at Portswood and more at Dorset. In Dorset, one usually sees service on route 253 from Weymouth to Beaminster in the weekdays.

Coach 21120 is a Dennis Javelin - the only example in the FHD fleet, so I've put it with the other coaches in this collection.

At Weymouth, First Hampshire & Dorset use several Volvo B6BLEs on route 1 from Weymouth to Portland. All did carry Red Line 1 branding, but on many vehicles this has now been removed. These are the only B6s in First Hants & Dorset.

First Hants & Dorset operate two batches of Volvo B7RLEs.

* The larger batch is allocated to Hilsea depot. 22 examples were new to FHD, replacing Scania Omnicity single deckers on route 40/1. They have begun to enter service at the end of March (week beginning 23/3). The route 41 examples will have branding, but it is unknown whether any branding for route 40 will be worn. Photos of the full batch to come.

* Secondly, 8 ex-First Manchester examples operate from Weymouth depot on route 1 from Weymouth to Portland. I've managed to catch all but two now - one off route on route 31 in Charmouth, and the rest on route 1 in Weymouth.

In 2000, First Hampshire acquired a batch of 15 brand new Volvo B7TLs to replace ageing Atlanteans. They were originally allocated to routes 5/11 but have since become the primary allocation on Green Line 17. Until 2007 they were the only batch of low floor deckers in FHD - now there are some Volvo B7TLs with Wright bodywork in service. Go to that gallery for more photos of the B7TL.

In 2007, FHD received 5 Volvo B7TL buses for improvement on route 8. These were part of the last batch of Volvo B7TL to be delivered to the entire country, as the Volvo B9 is now the current chassis used. All are allocated to route 8/8A and carry branding when they do not have adverts (the branding is under the advert frame) and have Barbie livery. Photos will be contained in this gallery. For more Volvo B7TLs within FHD, go to the ALX400 collection.

In Summer 2008, First Hants & Dorset took a delivery of their first Volvo B9TL double deckers. These numbered 8 and are for use on route X53 from Poole to Exeter, via Wareham, Weymouth, Bridport and Lyme Regis. They replaced Scania Omnidekkas in the process, which moved onto route 31. I've managed a couple of photos thus far but hope to improve on this in the future.

Southampton owned a P---KPX batch from new, but since all have moved on firstly to First Devon & Cornwall, and are now in service with First Manchester.

However, now a large batch from Stagecoach Cambus has been acquired with several from London. These are spread across Hoeford, Portswood and Weymouth, having all originally operated from Portswood. Furthermore, in 2005, a second 'foreign' batch was acquired from Go Ahead London, with N, P and R reg examples. Most of both batches appear in this gallery- there are a few gaps which I hope to fill soon.

Photos from Hoeford and Hilsea depot tours, when individuals from various enthusiast groups went on the depot tour with permission and guidance of First Hampshire & Dorset. Many thanks to FHD, Woody and the rest of the organisers, Malcolm and John for the fantastic day.

On the Gosport 2005 rally at Stokes Bay, 60 people could sign up for 3 tours of Hoeford depot (20 people per tour). I took the early afternoon trip and here are the pictures I took from the depot and of the First buses that were present at the rally. For the pictures of the rally, please go to my 'BUS RALLIES' website.

Portswood operated 4 Transbus Dart MPDs on route 16 (Southampton City Centre - Hamble via Wooston and Netley). The route was upgraded in 2005 with these 4 new buses with aid of funding from Eastleigh Borough Council. The service frequency was increased from every half an hour to every 20 minutes and the new 100% low floor service offered help to elderly customers, previously used to Arrows, Olympians and Atlanteans. This gallery will hold any future photos of MPDs with FHD also.

All FHD Mini-Pointer Darts have now been photographed.

Further Points:
43847 - made into a model by Creative Master Northcord
43849 - in service with First Devon & Cornwall, photo'd in the FDC Dart SLF/Pointer 2 gallery. (see link below)

Dennis Arrows were acquired from First in London during 2003-4 as replacements for Metrobuses and Atlanteans. They have appeared in 5 liveries while at Southampton - First London, Capital Citybus, Barbie 1, Barbie 2 and 31952 (S452SLL) was in an allover ad at one point.

All have now moved on to pastures new unfortunately - they added colour and variety to the double deck scene, now dominated by Olympians.

All of First in Hampshire & Dorset's Bouncy Castles were new to various companies in London, and all have come direct from either London or Beeline. The exception was 45307 (JDZ2307), allocated to Weymouth, which has come via Cymru but originated in London. All Darts are either in Barbie 2 or the Provincial livery, but following service changes and newer buses, only 4 remained in active service in the latter years. 45389 (JDZ2389) went down in history at Hoeford, for being the last Hoeford based bus to be in the Provincial Red & Cream livery, withdrawn late in 2008.

First Hants & Dorset was the Iveco capital of First. Numbers are began to diminish with transfers of Merc-709Ds and Varios into Hilsea. The remaining examples were seen off with further influxes of Darts and Varios, coupled with the vast route changes of Summer 2007 which only left 5 in service. These were gradually withdrawn, leaving 52104 as the last Iveco in service. Now all are withdrawn, but the memory lives on with photos. L316BOD is also in preservation.

Southampton Citybus and the later First Southampton were the Atlantean capital of the South. However, in 2005 all were withdrawn and now none remain in service. The good news is I know of 3 that are in preservation, so the Southampton Atlantean lives on!

Former Lynx with First Hants & Dorset:
- 62681, 62682 (K801/2CAN), Portswood/Hoeford, former Beeline buses
- a number of different Lynx with Southampton Citybus, numbered 1101-13 before sema voyager numbers, all only serving from Portswood
- 62627, 62628, 62630, 62640-3 (F627/8/30RTC, H640-3YHT), previously with First Bristol & Badgerline
- H857GRE previously with First PMT, operated by Weymouth

First Hants & Dorset withdrew the last proper Leyland National in 2005, 62436 (NLP389V). First Provincial was a capital for Nats and is now very strange without any. Luckily, a few were saved for preservation so the Provvi Nat lives on!

During 2000-1, Southampton had a large batch of Volvo B7LA bendy buses delivered to enhance services. However, due to Southampton City Council's road bumps, these have taken far to much damage and since moved onto First Glasgow.

A collection focusing on some Sunday services operated from Hoeford and Hilsea. Contains photos of the 5A, 11B, 79 and 88A, along with Sunday workings on the 1, 3 and other services. This gallery has photos of the less photographed routes.

Contains:
First Hants & Dorset
Stagecoach South