ONE route will be axed while others will change as part of a major shake-up of Southampton’s bus services.

First has unveiled changes to its routes across the city, which will see some new services added while others are reduced.

But some residents have criticised the changes, saying they will leave some communities poorly served by buses and sever some links across the city.

Service 5 between Bassett Green and Sholing is the one route that will be scrapped entirely, with bus chiefs saying its “usage is not strong”.

Three of the firm’s services – 1, 9 and 13 – will not run on Sundays, but bosses at First insist the changes will not dramatically reduce the transport options available to residents.

The firm’s commercial manager for Hampshire, Dorset and Berkshire, Matthew Callow, said said some services running across the city were “vulnerable” to congestion, and some will now only run on one side of the River Itchen to make them run more efficiently.

The changes will see its most regular services painted with the new red livery that it now has on its service 3 buses.

Mr Callow said: “We’ve been looking at our network in Southampton for the last few years and have recognised that travel patterns have changed and people want different things from their bus services in the city.

"What we are well aware of is that as people get busier and life gets more complicated they don’t want complexity in their services, they want simple services which run frequently with simple fares and being able to stand there at the bus stop not worrying about their services. We think we have managed to provide a service which provides the best service for the majority of people.”

First’s general manager for Southampton, Chrissie Bainbridge, said customer service staff would be briefed so that customers could talk to them about how the changes affect their routes.

The changes will come into effect on September 6.

But some residents have criticised the changes, with Sholing resident Robin Sheppard saying: “If they cut the five service how will a lot of people get to the GP surgery in Woolston?

"I think they’ve got more buses serving areas like Millbrook and Weston and we are being let out – there’s not enough bus provision in Sholing.”

And resident Clive Shutler said the changes would “leave Bitterne without a link to Townhill Park and leave just an hourly weekday daytime shopper bus to connect Bitterne with Midanbury”.