Two NEW Unilink bus routes this September

We will be introducing two brand new bus routes this September. The U7 expands connections between Highfield Campus and Winchester School of Art, and the U8 connects Highfield Campus with Southampton Science Park and Airport Parkway railway station.

These two routes will begin operation from September 2023.

"The U7 and U8 are a reflection of our strong partnership with the University," said Richard Tyldsley, Unilink general manager.

The U7 will operate between the Highfield bus interchange, Winchester School of Art and Winchester Broadway, Monday to Friday at peak times during term time - complementing the existing Bluestar 1 service, which operates between Southampton and Winchester seven days a week at regular intervals. This new service also offers direct links for students travelling between the two cities.

The U8 will connect the University of Southampton Science Park with both Highfield Campus and Southampton Airport Parkway. It will operate all year round excluding bank holidays. We expect this service to be especially popular among staff and students of the university who mainly travel to-and-from Highfield - as well as workers at the science park who travel from Parkway station. Passengers can, of course, connect from other buses in Southampton onto the U8.

Adam Tewkesbury, associate director, environment & sustainability at the University of Southampton, added: “This is a great opportunity to improve our network.  We’re keen to offer staff and students at both Winchester and Southampton Science Park a bus service similar to the established and thriving Unilink network, and we are hopeful that these new routes will provide better flexibility for those living and studying in the area.”

Timetables, fares and route maps will be available shortly to view on our website. We look forward to welcoming passengers on board these new routes...