Buses in Waterlooville: Routes, Operators & Live Times

The two main operators serving Waterlooville are First Bus (routes 7 and 8, branded The Star) and Stagecoach South (routes 37, 39, 916 and the local D1/D2 town services). Between them they connect Waterlooville to Portsmouth, Cosham, Havant, Clanfield, Petersfield and Wecock Farm.

First Bus routes

Route 7 (The Star) runs between Portsmouth city centre (The Hard/Gunwharf area) and Wecock Farm, via Cosham and Waterlooville, operating daily at a high frequency (roughly every 12 minutes on the core section). This is the route to use if you're heading into Portsmouth or need to reach Cosham, including Cosham railway station.

Route 8 (The Star) runs between Portsmouth's Hard Interchange and Clanfield, again via Cosham and Waterlooville, running daily roughly every 15 minutes. Route 8 is the one to catch if you're heading south into Portsmouth or south-east towards Clanfield.

Both routes are timetabled and mapped on the First Bus Waterlooville route map, and current timetables are always best checked on the First Bus website or app before you travel, since frequencies and stops are periodically revised.

Stagecoach South routes

Route 37 runs between Havant and Petersfield via Waterlooville and Clanfield. This is the long-distance option if you're heading north towards Petersfield, or south to Havant for onward rail connections.

Route 39 connects Havant and Wecock Farm via Leigh Park, Asda, Crookhorn, Purbrook and Waterlooville. Useful for reaching Havant town centre and Havant railway station without going via Portsmouth.

Route 916 is a seasonal/event service running from Clanfield to Goodwood Racecourse via Horndean, Cowplain, Waterlooville and Havant — worth knowing about if you're heading to a race meeting at Goodwood.

Routes 652 and 654 are local school services linking Hambledon with The Cowplain School and Oaklands School respectively.

D1 and D2 are short local town services running from Waterlooville Precinct to The Gardens and Great Mead, useful for getting around Waterlooville itself without a car.

Full Stagecoach South timetables, including PDF downloads, are on the Stagecoach South Portsmouth services page and the route 37 timetable page.

Getting live times and buying tickets

For real-time bus times and journey planning across every operator serving Waterlooville, bustimes.org is the most reliable independent source — its Waterlooville locality page lists every service currently calling at stops in the town. Both First Bus and Stagecoach also run their own apps with live tracking and mobile ticketing: the First Bus app for routes 7 and 8, and the Stagecoach Bus app for routes 37, 39 and 916. Traveline South East also covers Hampshire-wide journey planning if you're combining Waterlooville buses with routes from further afield.

Which route should I catch?

If you're heading into Portsmouth city centre, First Bus routes 7 or 8 are your most frequent options, both running via Cosham. If you're heading to Havant (including the railway station), Stagecoach routes 37 or 39 are the direct options. For Petersfield, route 37 is the through service. For getting around within Waterlooville — say, between the Precinct and Wecock Farm or Cowplain — the D1 and D2 town services or the tail ends of routes 7, 8, 37 and 39 will get you there.

As with any bus network, timetables, frequencies and even route numbers do get revised, so always check the operator's live app or bustimes.org before you travel rather than relying on a printed timetable.