RESIDENTS of a Southampton retirement housing block are fighting for a bus route that provides a “lifeline to most”.

The residents of Sarnia Court in Lordshill are coming together to stop the route changes proposed by Bluestar.

Currently, the only bus that passes by the flat block is the Bluestar Number 17 which is a reasonable walking distance for the residents.

The bus travels down Brownhill Way and stops outside the housing before going up Lower Brownhill Road and onto Romsey Road.

The new route will miss Brownhill Way completely and will instead travel down Adanac Drive and onto Lower Brownhill Way.

The new closest stop will be a 15-minute walk away.

Residents have suggested adding a 17A route which stops next to Sarnia Court every hour instead of the usual 17 which comes every 10 minutes.

Phil Paine, 72, a Sarnia Court resident, said: “The majority of people in here are disabled or have difficulties with mobility.

“Everyone is the same here and the new stop is a quarter of an hour away, which is just not in a walkable distance for some.

“The whole Court are in agreement for this to be stopped.”

The residents are calling on Bluestar for a meeting and have even suggested paying 50p to keep their bus.

Another resident added: “It is like we have been forgotten about. For some people, the bus is a lifeline to most and allows then to go out.

“Loneliness is one of the biggest killers and the bus is the only thing that can get most out of here. The mobility will come to an end.”

Andrew Wickham, Bluestar managing director, said: “We are making these changes because the new route will serve Adanac Park - accommodating a number of people commuting to Ordnance Survey. Another reason for the change is to give buses recovery time - and this is very challenging with the current loop.”