HERITAGE buses will be providing free rides over their traditional routes around on New Year's Day. 

The old King Alfred company buses will be running on Monday, January 1, courtesy of the Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB). 

The vehicles will operate from the Broadway over local routes, covering Weeke, Harestock, Stanmore, Oliver’s Battery, Winnall, Springvale as well as Sparsholt and Sutton Scotney. The routes will follow those operated by the King Alfred Bus Company which went out of business in 1973.

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Beyond that, some visiting buses will provide additional journeys to Alresford, whilst an innovation this year will be a regular connection to and from Fareham.

While FoKAB organises a very big operation every year on the first spring Bank Holiday – the Original King Alfred Running Day which this year is on Monday, May 6 - it remains a tradition going back 40 years to run the King Alfred buses on New Year’s Day.

A fully illustrated programme and timetable will be published shortly before the event. 

For more details, visit kingalfredbuses.org.uk.