The Jurassic Coaster is a bus service operated by the Weymouth branch of First Hampshire & Dorset, running around the Jurassic coastline of the county of Dorset.[1] It features five routes, stretching from Axminster in the west to Poole in the east, with one of the routes in TripAdvisor's 2018 poll of most scenic bus routes coming in 12th place.[2]
The X53 route was introduced in November 1998 by Southern National, and operated at a frequency of one bus every three hours between Exeter and Dorchester via Seaton, Lyme Regis, and Bridport. In May 2001, the route was changed east of Bridport to instead serve Abbotsbury and Weymouth. In May 2003, the frequency of the route was increased to two-hourly, the Sunday service became year-round, and some summer services were extended beyond Weymouth to Wareham.[3]
In April 2004, the route was branded as CoastLinX53. The following month, the route was extended to Poole, with some buses continuing to Bournemouth. While the existing service was council-funded, the extensions to Poole and Bournemouth were operated on a commercial basis.[4] However, the Bournemouth extensions were cut in April 2008.[3]
After fifteen years of financial support from Devon County Council and Dorset County Council,[5] in March 2013 the route began being operated entirely on a commercial basis for the first time. A new livery was launched, together with the Jurassic Coaster branding.[3] By the following year, the route was running at an hourly frequency between Lyme Regis and Weymouth.[6]
Split-up of the X53 and rebranding by First Wessex
Open and closed top Jurassic Coaster buses parked at Weymouth
In 2016, the X53 was split into multiple routes, with the X53 itself being shortened to only run between Axminster and Weymouth. Two new service were introduced numbered X52 and X54. The X52 ran between Exeter and Lyme Regis, avoiding Axminster,[7] while the X54 ran between Weymouth and Poole. The X52 service was reduced in frequency, and withdrawn in 2018, marking the end of First bus services in Exeter.[3][8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic
Sunday services were cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but were reinstated in July 2020.[9] The Sunday service continued to run during the winter, unlike in previous years.[10]
In 2021, the logo and livery for the routes was updated. Route 501 was brought into the network with "Portland Coaster" branded open top buses and the X52 number was relaunched and reworked for a new route running between Bridport and Monkey World.[1][11][12]
The Jurassic Coaster network is formed of six routes, stretching from Axminster in the west, through Weymouth to Swanage in the east.[13] Each of the six routes generally run to a two-hourly frequency.[14]
The route is operated using a mixture of Wright Eclipse Gemini and Plaxton President open-top buses. The route operates during the summer months (between May and September) only.[15][14]
The route is operated using a mixture of Wright Eclipse Gemini and Plaxton President open-top buses. The route operates during the summer months (between May and September) only.[15][14]
The route is operated using open-top Alexander ALX400 buses. The route operates during the summer months (between May and September) only.[15][17]
Vehicles
Jurassic Coaster X53 service in 2017
When the original X53 was introduced in November 1998 by Southern National, the route was operated with three Plaxton Paramount coaches.[3]
After the takeover of the company the same year and the rebranding of the route in 2004, the route was served with Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvos for the Coastlinx53. In May 2021, the route network and livery was revised and modified open top Transbus ALX400s and Wright Eclipse Geminis as well as closed top Enviro400s were put into its colours and used on the network.[11][12][18]
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