Updated with reader comments about fare prices First has put ten brand new buses on the Service 7 route to provide a seven-minute frequency between town and Portswood, Townhill Park/Midanbury running via the RSH Hospital, Bevois Valley, Cobden Bridge and Bitterne Park.

 
First says they offer customers increased comfort as they all feature luxurious leather seats, LED lighting and free WiFi as standard.

The buses, all low-floor Alexander Dennis midi-buses with Enviro 200 body and chassis, were officially ‘launched’ on December 21, and collectively represent £1.3 million investment.

First says the vehicles are also better for the environment too: they come equipped with Cummins Euro 5 EEV engines, which are designed to offer exceptional performance, less noise, and fewer emissions while also costing less to run in the long term.  

Update: following publication of this piece, a couple of our Twitter followers commented about the price of travelling by First bus; @clairegodding tweeted: "love the new buses, live on the route but it cost me 16.80 to take 5 kids to town. cheaper in car. sorry can't afford bus." @FirstHampshire responsed: "Hi guys, thanks for comments. Difficult to balance cost & quality but will pass your experience on."