Buses in Poole

Subsidised bus services

Where services are not provided on a commercial basis, we work in partnership with the bus operators by providing subsidised routes.

Timetable and service information

RouteOne - linking Poole town centre and the hospital with the Old Town and the Quay.

Route 7 - a group of 3 local services for Upper Parkstone linking to Alderney East (7A), Bloxworth and Sainsbury's (7B) and Tower Park Tesco.

Route 18 - Bournemouth - Broadstone via Westbourne, Upper Parkstone, Canford Heath, Waterloo Estate

Route 20 - Poole - Penn Hill, Bournemouth, Charminster, Castlepoint.

Route 32 - Poole Bus Station - Poole Hospital - Kingsbere Road - Christopher Crescent - Fleetsbridge Tesco - Steepleton Road - Broadstone - Merley (Sopwith Crescent) - Canford Village - Kinson - Winton - Bournemouth Station - Bournemouth Square.

Route 33 - Bournemouth - Christchurch via Bournemouth, Boscombe, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Southbourne.

Route 36 - Talbot View - Kinson via Bourne Valley, Glenferness Avenue, Bournemouth University and Wallisdown.

Local authority bus subsidy ring-fenced (revenue) grant

In 2018/19, the Borough of Poole was awarded a grant of £177,533 by the Department for Transport. The grant was devolved Bus Service Operators Grant and was ring-fenced to provide financial support for non-commercial subsidised local bus services and for running community transport services in house. 

£166,704 was spent supporting local bus services operating in the evenings, weekends, off-peak and to schools. £10,829 was spent supporting the Poole Dial-a-Bus Service.

Further information about this grant can be found on the GOV.UK website.