Why are there red double decker buses in Southampton?

The red double-deckers have been spotted along the city's roads in recent weeks.

Despite the colour, the buses have nothing to do with City Red and belong to Bluestar instead.

The operator, which took over City Red routes in February, brought in a number of older buses to boost its fleet while it waits for a new batch of low-emission vehicles to arrive next year.

But after residents complained the old buses were too noisy - with one man comparing them to jet engines - the company brought in red London buses, which are quieter, from its sister companies.

'New generation of buses'

Twenty-four new British-built double-deckers will join the existing Bluestar fleet next March following a £7m investment.

Richard Tyldsley, Bluestar general manager said: “We are excited to be bringing a new generation of buses to Southampton.

"In the meantime, our customers will continue to see a number of differently branded vehicles in-and-around the city, acquired from some of our sister companies.

“We recently noted some feedback that some of the temporary buses were very noisy, so most of those have now been replaced by quieter red London buses.”

'Noise is deafening'

Rod Gates, 79, has complained about noisy temporary buses (Image: Newsquest)

However, pensioner Rod Gates who previously said buses sounded like “jet engines”, said he hasn't seen any differences outside his house in Kathleen Road.

The 79-year-old Sholing resident said: “I haven't noticed any less noise made by the buses to what it was like before.

"They are still running these noisy buses and if you’re walking on the footpath it’s still deafening.

“At least they are getting new ones, but we are now going to have to wait until March next year.”

Bluestar has also been criticised over delays to the services previously run by City Red leaving passengers late for work or school.

Mr Tyldsley said: “We try our utmost to offer a reliable and punctual bus service but, of late, we have seen serious disruption from many sets of roadworks and diversions across the area, large events in the city, and high volumes of traffic congestion caused by multiple cruise ships being in port.

“Occasionally, we are affected by driver sickness or mechanical issues among some of the older buses we are temporarily using - and this can also result in delays.

“We are continuing to work with colleagues in local authorities to ease the impact of roadworks, and to find solutions for bus priority to help us navigate traffic congestion when it occurs.”