INVESTIGATION: 2 of 3 Partners in Park and Ride Partnership Blame Southampton City Council for Being "Not Good Enough"

When given the right of reply, both Bluestar bus company and University Hospitals Southampton, have passed the buck to Southampton City Council for the failings of the Park and Ride service. 

Andrew Pope wrote to all three partners in the Park and Ride, offering a Right of Reply to his criticisms following his very long campaign to deliver a Park and Ride for Southampton.

Corporate Affairs at University Hospitals Southampton (UHS) has written to Andrew Pope:

"With regards to the Park & Ride:

The Park & Ride operates for the use of UHS staff from Monday to Friday. Southampton City Council promotes the use of the service at weekends for the public so we would direct you to the Council for any questions you have about that."

The General Manager of Bluestar replied:

"We operate the P&R under contract to the city council.  A such, it is the council that have designed and procured the service and pay for it.

You will need to speak to the council for the finer details, but I understand they have an agreement with the hospital to use their car park at weekends.

It is of course a trial, so perhaps more permanent signage will come if it becomes a permanent park and ride.  I have seen various adverts around the city and online for the service, and I also heard a radio advert for it recently too."

Andrew, who is a member of the Independent Network, says:

 

Andrew Pope
Photo: Southampton Independents

"I campaigned for over a decade for a Park and Ride here in Southampton, and we now have one for hospital staff during Monday to Friday. 

I repeatedly pressured the Council, bus companies and hospital for aspirations in strategy documents to be turned into reality.

Over the weekend we have the PR1 service for the public to the City Centre and on Saints home games, PR2 for football fans to St Mary's Stadium.

I am pleased to have initiated this campaign when I chaired the Council's Inquiry into hospital transport. But it was a long and hard fight, which ended after I spoke up about the Park and Ride at the Planning Meeting in 2025 where I spoke up for residents who live near the hospital.

So I was disappointed to see that it was not good enough. And I gave the right of reply to all three partners to my criticisms, in the spirit of partnership and to try to improve it.

So I am now further disappointed to get buck-passing and blaming of the Council. 

That is not in the spirit of partnership. I want these partners to work together to deliver what is needed to keep cars out of Southampton and reduce traffic, not to blame each other.

It echoes the previous disasters of the Capita contract that was scrapped in 2018 the Tory councillors wanted to keep it - and the Balfour Beatty road contract which I would like to scrap but Labour and Tory councils have continued to carry on, despite its many failings and constant complaints from residents, which I totally agree with."

Independent Network emblem

 

Andrew Pope investigated the new Park and Ride that he had campaigned on for many years. He published his findings on the Southampton Independents website, and wrote a letter to the Daily Echo, saying that what has been done is "not good enough", which was published.

Andrew also wrote to the three "partners" in the "partnership" for the Park and Ride:

1. Bluestar bus company
2. University Hospitals Southampton, which runs Southampton General Hospital
3. Southampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, Labour Councillor Christie Lambert

Bluestar responded very quickly, claiming that the Park and Ride was a "trial". This was not clear in the Council's communications about the service.

Councillor Christie Lambert took two months to reply, and provided a rather feeble response, failing to answer the many points that Andrew had pointed out. She then quit as Cabinet Member for Transport.

The UHS Chief Executive Officer David French did not provide a reponse, neither did the officer understood to be his PA. Andrew had previously corresponded with Mr French over the Park and Ride.

INVESTIGATION: Empty Park and Ride Buses "Not Good Enough" says Campaigner Andrew Pope

 

Southampton Public Park and Ride Bus at Adanac Park
Photo: Southampton Independents

Campaigner and Founder of Southampton Independents Andrew Pope went along to investigate the new Park and Ride for the public to use at the weekend, to see if it met his expectations, having campaigned for it for over a decade. 

His letter was published in the Southern Daily Echo on Monday 13th October 2025.

Bluestar buses, the Chief Executive of University Hospitals Southampton and Southampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Tranposrt, Councillor Christie Lambert, have been offered the opportunity to comment. At the time of writing, only Bluestar have responded.

 

Andrew Pope Park and Ride Letter in Southern Daily Echo
13th October 2025 

The full text of the letter is below. 

 

Former Councillor Andrew Pope Speaking to BBC South Today

 

Park and Ride Not Good Enough  

"As a long-term campaigner for a better Southampton for residents and visitors, I was very pleased that a campaign that I began in 2013 has been successful.

A Southampton Park and Ride is finally here, after years of road chaos and pollution caused by visitors and workers who do not live here.

Bluestar and the Hospital were always helpful in this campaign. Southampton City Council dithered and delayed for over a decade.

So I had to remind councillors at the recent Planning meeting about the delay. It seems to have worked, as weeks after my speech there, and after such a long delay, it finally happened.

And now it is here, but it is not good enough. Now it is here and it has to be made to work, and work all week, not just at weekends.

So when I checked up on the actual Park and Ride that is operating over the past few weeks, I was concerned to see the poor promotion of it. And almost empty or completely empty buses, which I confirmed with the drivers.

Yes, it will take time for people to start to use it, and it is early days, only a month in.

But the signage and information, marketing and promotion need to be improved dramatically, and quickly.

It all seemed to be reliant on online information, and obviously that is no good for someone who is driving.

Apart from a tiny sign on a lamppost, there was no information at Adanac Park about fares, parking costs, how to get a ticket, or who to get it from.

And there were no signs on the M271 telling passengers to go off at Junction 1. I noticed this, and so did the bus drivers, who said they had told bus management. 

So Park and Ride passengers would be confused and annoyed, and either end up at Romsey, back on the M27 or in Southampton - defeating the purpose of a Park and Ride completely!

I can hear the lame excuses from the Council already, saying that the M271 is Highways Agency or part of a road is Hampshire County Council. Frankly, I don't care about passing the buck, I heard that countless times when I was a councillor for eight years. 

It's the Council's job to co-ordinate in any partnership arrangement.

Fixing all of the above will improve passenger numbers, visitor satisfaction and drive Southampton towards a permanent and daily Park and Ride, something our City badly needs. I will carry on campaigning."

Southampton Independents Emblem

Southampton City Council Wants You To "Celebrate" The Demise of City Reds Buses - And Nobody Wants To Mention The "M" Word

Southampton City Council
Facebook Page

"We have no current plans to increase fares but we must be mindful of the increase in our own costs due to the current high level of inflation" say Bluestar

by Andrew D Pope, 21st February 2023

Southern Daily Echo
"Fares will not be increased"

UPDATE (25/2/23): Neither Councillor Eamonn Keogh, nor Conservative Group of councillors, nor Liberal Democrat councillor, nor Bluestar have responded to our request for comment. We did ask.

The Labour-run Southampton City Council has asked members of the public to celebrate a "new dawn", in the almost Maoist China sense, of a monopoly in buses in Southampton, by going along for a photo opportunity at the Bargate. Yes, that's right, Southampton now has a monopoly for buses with City Reds going under.

Just a day before this "celebration", Labour Councillor Eamonn Keogh who is the Cabinet Member responsible for transport in Southampton, spoke on the Council's Youtube channel from Vincents Walk, near to the Bargate. Councillor Keogh that it was a "sad day" that City Reds had gone, but "fortunately" Bluestar would help bring "innovative" buses to the City. Opposition councillors from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have been asked to comment. Councillor Keogh has also been asked for a response. There are currently no independent councillors.

What is a Monopoly and Why Should I Care?

A monopoly is when one company is the only one providing a product or service. In the UK, monopolies are supposed to be regulated and prevented by the Competition and Markets Authority. But not it seems, when it comes to Southampton's buses. Perhaps buses are exempt from competition? But not according the records of the CMA because previous investigations have been undertaken in other parts of England. And various Government guidance has been issued, for example here.

Monopolies are regulated because according to economists who believe in economic theory, and they would say that significant evidence supports the theory, monopolies can abuse their position. Customers can suffer, suppliers can suffer, prices can go up. Nobody can go to a competitor, simply because there are none. Whether this will happen with Southampton's buses remains to be seen. What is the difference between centralised state control, for example in China or the Soviet Union, and a monopoly run by an exclusive company?

Contrary to what many people believe, Southampton City Council does not own or run Southampton's buses. As I discovered when as a City Councillor I ran an Inquiry, and produced a City Council report, into buses and sustainable transport at Southampton General Hospital, the Council subsidises some routes ran by commercial bus operators with public money. Buses used to be run by councils, but that was a long time ago before they were privatised by the Conservative Government.

Now there is no market for buses. Passengers cannot choose between competing bus providers. It is now a monopoly. So what are the differences between public ownership in a monopoly and private ownership in a monopoly? Southampton passengers are about to find out.

City Reds Is Dead and Bluestar Is Now The Only Southampton Bus Company 

Yet despite its new dawn of a monopoly, Bluestar has not commented on the monopoly position that they now enjoy, despite being asked directly by me. Bluestar's parent company Go South Coast have also taken over other bus services in the South and West of England, when competitors have gone bust. 

When it became clear that City Reds was going to disappear, in January 2023 I contacted Go South Coast's Managing Director Andrew Wickham, whom I had observed praising Southampton City Council and other Council's policies on Twitter. This is strange behaviour for the managing director of a bus company. Mr Wickham has also backed the very unpopular Portswood Broadway closure being promoted by the Labour-run Council, in an email response to Southampton Independents.

Are Local Media Asking The Right Questions?

Nobody seemed to be asking the questions that concern consumers in a monopoly - and in this case let's call them passengers. If local media were asking, the answers did not seem to be being covered in a big way by local media outlets. Of course, any advertising revenue received from Bluestar would not tarnish the editorial or journalistic decisions by those outlets. Surely, those media outlets would always provide impartial and clear information for Southampton residents, regardless of the advertising revenue. 

The demise of City Reds has been covered, but the new monopoly has not. The word monopoly was not used in the above article in the Daily Echo (see top of article). Neither does another recent Echo article. And this BBC article, despite the BBC not being a commercial news organisation does not mention the "M" word either! So much for journalism in Southampton? According to the Press Gazette, a recent BBC review of economics coverage found a lack of knowledge and impartiality, so perhaps it is not surprising.

The Bluestar media release to local media outlets may have been caused by the questions that I asked them and not by any questions raised by the Daily Echo.  Indeed, the article above reads like a press release. I have asked Bluestar's PR agency.

Will Prices Go Up and Will Services Be Cut?

I asked Mr Wickham about Bluestar's new monopoly position in Southampton, with the question:

"What would your company say to passengers and citizens of our City to assuage any concerns that Bluestar might abuse its monopoly position?"

You may notice in his response below that Mr Wickham does not really answer my question on the monopoly. He does not even mention the monopoly but he does mention the demise of City Reds (First Bus). And he does not rule out price rises. You can draw your own conclusions from his response. 

"My team has worked hard to ensure people living and working in the area will continue to enjoy comprehensive bus services here from Sunday 19 February. We are also offering employment to existing Southampton First Bus drivers - with improved pay and conditions - to minimise the impact this decision could have on their livelihoods.

Our investment in a fleet of low emissions buses in the city means those who travel with us enjoy comfortable, convenient, journeys across Southampton - and we are looking forward to welcoming new customers over the coming months. I can assure local people that we will continue to look for ways to improve our offering here. 

We have no current plans to increase fares but we must be mindful of the increase in our own costs due to the current high level of inflation, so we will be monitoring this situation continuously and will react accordingly."

Bluestar has been receiving Government subsidies for fares. This will end. Will prices go up then? Will services be cut? Time will tell, especially when the City Council's celebration at the Bargate fades into irrelevance.

What do you think? Get in touch and tell us.