From 14 November 2022, Portsmouth-licensed private hire vehicles – cars that can be booked using a phone or an app but cannot use taxi ranks – are able to use five bus lanes in the city, in the same way that taxis, emergency vehicles on blue lights, pedal cycles and rental e-scooters already can.

The trial will last for at least three months and has been given the go ahead in response to requests from private hire vehicle drivers in the city. It is in line with the council’s vision to provide easy, faster travel options for everyone in the city 24 hours a day, including those who cannot easily walk, cycle, or take the bus.

As part of the trial, we have consulted with bus lane users in the city and have agreed to monitor the trial using a wide range of measurements including cycling near misses that can reported by using an online form.

The bus lanes that are included in the trial are:

• Cavell Drive which accesses QA hospital
• Marketway (westbound), which runs behind Cascades shopping centre allowing people to get to Portsea, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays among others
• Queen Street near HMS Nelson
• Bishop Crispian Way which runs past Victoria Park (Straight ahead into Queen Street only at the junction with Anglesea Road/Alfred Road)
• Mile End Road (southbound) which runs past the Ferry Port on the way into the city

Temporary yellow information signs will be in place along the five bus lanes at the beginning of the trial. These signs will be removed after several weeks. This will not mark the end of the trial.

Your safety is important to us, and if you see anything you’re concerned about you can report a near miss:

Report a near miss

Or through Hampshire Constabulary’s Hants SNAP:

Report an incident to Hampshire Constabulary

Which bus lanes are included in the trial?

The bus lanes that are included in the trial are:

• Cavell Drive which accesses Queen Alexandra hospital
• Marketway south bound, which runs behind Cascades shopping centre allowing people to get to Portsea, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays among others
• Queen Street near HMS Nelson (allowing access north onto Bishop Crispian Way)
• Bishop Crispian Way which runs past Victoria Park
• Mile End Road which runs past the Ferry Port on the way into the city

See map above.

Please note that temporary yellow information signs will be in place along the bus lanes at the beginning of the trial. These signs will be removed after several weeks. This will not mark the end of the trial.

Example of temporary signage in place along bus lanes included in the trial. 

Can private hire vehicle drivers use the bus lane from Bishop Crispian Way towards Queen Street and from Queen Street towards Bishop Crispian Way?

Yes.

Can private hire vehicle drivers use the bus lane on Commercial Road?

No.

Can private hire vehicle drivers use other bus lanes in Portsmouth?

No. The only bus lanes included in the trial are listed above.

Why are Portsmouth City Council not including more bus lanes?

The reason for selecting only these bus lanes is because they have existing infrastructure such as enforcement cameras and Bluetooth journey time monitoring equipment that will enable the Council to monitor the impacts of the trial properly. Additional bus lanes are not included at this time, because they do not have this necessary infrastructure.

Secondly the bus lanes selected for the trial were done so considering road speed, layout, proximity to accident hotspots and the availability of adjacent cycle infrastructure. This was done to ensure the safety of all road users.

Finally, the council undertook Road Safety Audits on the five shortlisted bus lanes, which confirmed their suitability for the trial.

Once the true impacts of the trial have been captured analysed and presented, the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation will be able to decide on the next steps as part of this trial.

How long is the trial?

The trial will last at least three months. However, the cabinet member for traffic and transportation reserves the right to cease the use of one or all bus lanes in the trial in the event of serious safety concerns.

Can private hire vehicle drivers registered outside Portsmouth take part in the trial?

Only private hire vehicle drivers registered in Portsmouth can make use of these bus lanes.