THE Mayor of Ringwood has welcomed Yellow Buses’ first-ever service to the town.
From Sunday (January 15), the bus company has introduced eight colour coded lines through Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and East Dorset.
And for the first time in Yellow Buses’ 114-year history the Bournemouth-based company is serving Ringwood.
Ringwood mayor Cllr Michael Thierry said the town’s new B4 service would help boost local business.
He added: “It brings me great joy and happiness to welcome Yellow Buses to Ringwood.
“I’m delighted that Yellow Buses will be providing a service around Ringwood, bringing in people from areas that previously weren’t served.
“It gives people the opportunity to visit Ringwood and see what the town has to offer.”
Yellow Buses’ new lines are called Bourne, Priory, Uni, Royal, Village, Coast, Dolphin and Heath – reflecting its strong local connectivity and sense of community.
The new Bourne Line route B4 service goes from Bournemouth to Ringwood via Ferndown, West Moors and Verwood.
Andrew Smith, Managing Director, said: “We have spent a long time speaking with passengers and analysing data in order to make the changes work for everyone.
“Yellow Buses in one form or another has proudly served Bournemouth and the surrounding area for 114 years, but the needs and requirements of our passengers are constantly changing.
“Our new network highlights that unique local bond with the introduction of an even more customer orientated service using route names which reflect the area served.
“It’s a network designed for the needs of our customers in 2017 and we believe it will prove very popular.”
Yellow Buses operates a fleet of 131 buses and 18 coaches with a staff of 414.
Its vehicles cover nearly five million miles a year across the Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and East Dorset area.
Yellow Buses is part of RATP Group, the world’s fifth largest public transport provider.