Dozens of bus routes to be axed as cuts hit

Dozens of bus routes are to be axed as Hampshire County Council has slashed its subsidy for loss-making journeys by 45 per cent.

Cllr Mel Kendal, executive member for the environment and transport, approved the controversial changes yesterday.

He said the Conservativecontrolled council was cutting the subsidy given to commercial bus companies to run unprofitable routes as part of plans to save £55m this year because of the squeeze on public spending.

Rural, evening and Sunday services have been hardest hit as county chefs have made journeys to work, the shops and hospitals a priority.

Council bosses have promised that no village or housing estate with a current bus service will be left without a public transport link.

However, the service will be reduced from six days to three or even two in some areas, for example Barton Stacey, near Winchester.

Other villages and communities have lost their Sunday and evening buses, including Marchwood. In Winchester, evening buses will stop at 9.30pm.

Subsidised taxi-share schemes will replace buses on some routes where there are just a few passenger.

Cllr Adam Carew, Liberal Democrat opposition spokesman for transport, criticised the council for increasing its reserves by £48m while cutting vital bus services.

He said: “The council’s hands are not tied. This is a matter of choice. If the council thought bus services were more of a priority they would not be making the cuts.”

The cuts come as bus use in Hampshire hits a 20-year high, according to council officers. But Peter Shelley, public transport manager for the county council, said buses “worked best” in urban areas with dense populations.

He said: “Our role is to be a safety net to make sure buses provide a rural service. We do recognise that transport can be a lifeline.”

The local authority has slashed its bus subsidy from £8.3m to £6.6m, equal to a £2.2m cut. On top of this the Government rural bus subsidy has been reduced by £544,000.

County chiefs say most of the council’s reserves are earmarked for specific purposes such as settling insurance or equal pay claims.

Romsey, Totton and Waterside

30 Romsey to Halterworth. Revised timetable, reduced from six days to five days.
34 Romsey-Whaddon-Salisbury (Mon-Fri). Reduced to scholars and shoppers service.
35 Romsey-Braishfield. Reduced from six days to five. 65/616 North Baddesley – the Mountbatten School. Withdrawn owing to poor value (subsidy £3.75 per passenger trip).
32/33 Romsey-Woodley. Revised timetable. Two buses an hour from three.
8 Southampton-Marchwood-Hythe. Withdraw Sunday daytime service. Average six passengers per trip.
9 Netley View-Blackfield, Heather Road. Withdraw, low use.
10-11 West Totton-Cadnam. Reduced to hourly from every 30 mins.
12/8 Calmore-Marwood-Southampton. Withdraw Sunday evenings.
H1/2 Hythe-Netley View. Reduced timetable. Withdraw Saturdays.
521 Hill Top-Hardley School. Withdraw owing to low usage (four passengers per day).

Eastleigh

C1/C2/C3 Eastleigh-Velmore-Chandler's Ford-Hiltingbury and Valley Park. Alternative 18/19 timetable, no longer serving Valley Park. Reduced from three buses per hour to hourly. Taxi share for Valley Park and parts of Hiltingbury two days a week.
E1/E2/E3 Eastleigh-Winchester. Reduce E1/E2 from half-hourly to hourly and divert to include Royal Hampshire County Hospital and Lower Stanmore. Withdraw E3 to Badger Farm.
F Eastleigh-Bishop's Waltham. Withdraw and replace with taxi share two days a week to Stoke Common.
17 Bishop’s Waltham to Petersfield. Reduce 17 from Mon to Sat to two days (Wed and Sat) only.
E2 Eastleigh-Chandler's Ford-Hiltingbury. Sunday and bank holiday service withdrawn.

Fareham & Gosport

26/18 Fareham-Hedge End-Whiteley-Locks Heath. Reduced timetable. Hospital service withdrawn.
33/35 Fareham-Stubbington. 35 withdrawn.
36 Lee-on-Solent-Fareham. Reductions in afternoon service.
80 Fareham-Sarisbury-Southampton. Reduced to one three-hourly service.
87 Gosport-Peel Common-Fareham. Service reductions in late afternoon.
88 Gosport-Stokes Bay-Fareham Mon-Sat evening services withdrawn.
94 Fareham-Knowle-Wickham. Withdraw last trip Mon-Fri and late trips on Saturdays.
38/138 Fareham-Waterlooville. Service to be withdrawn and replaced by a taxi share.

New Forest

X1/X2 Lymington-New Milton-Bournemouth. Withdraw evening and Sunday.
6 Lymington-Brockenhurst-Southampton. Mon-Sat reduce from every 30 mins to hourly.
44 Breamore-Woodgreen taxi-share to be retained (replaced bus withdrawn July 2011).
112 Lymington-Beaulieu-Hythe. Reduced to scholars and three day shopper services from six.
119 Lymington-Pennington. Revised route combined with No. 192. Hourly from every 30 mins.
191 New Milton-Chatsworth Park. Reduced from four trips each way to three.
192 New Milton-Barton-on-Sea. Largely withdrawn. 2/3 journeys each way retained for Becton
136/137 Ringwood-Poulner. Revised timetable. Discussions ongoing.
175/176 Ringwood-Bransgore-Christchurch. Reduced to scholars and three day shoppers from six.

Winchester

1 Winchester-Harestock-Stanmore. Earlier finish to Mon-Sat service approx 9pm/9.30pm.
2 Winchester-Oliver's Battery-Badger Farm. Commercial hourly service withdrawn. Three journey a day option being developed.
4 Winchester-Teg Down. Revised timetable to be provided commercially. The Spring Winchester-Kingsworthy. Sundays revised timetable to be provided commercially.
6A Abbot's Barton-Hyde-Winchester. Reduced from six days a week to five. 7 Winchester-Littleton-Sparsholt Withdraw 5pm service. Used by three passengers a day.
11 Winchester-Highcliffe. Mon-Sat service reduced to hourly from every 30 minutes.
46 Winchester-Valley Park-North Baddersley. Reduced to two-hourly and Mon to Fri only. Taxi share being developed for Chilworth and Upton Crescent.
67 Winchester-Alresford-Petersfield. Two-hourly from hourly.
63 Owslebury-Winchester. Reduced from six days to five, shoppers and scholars journey only.
69 Winchester-Bishops Waltham- Fareham. Withdrawn Sunday journeys.
86 Winchester-Springvale-Whitchurch. Withdrawn Friday/Saturday evening journeys.
95/96 Kempshott-East Stratton-Winchester. Withdrawn, no regular use.