Andover to Winchester Service Bus Cut

Written by Cllr Robin Hughes and published in Andover Advertiser on Fri 23rd Sep 2005

The woefully inadequate public transport between Andover and Winchester is set to worsen if the proposal to withdraw the Sunday Andover-Winchester-Basingstoke service goes ahead. Cllr. Hughes believes that some of the 14500 users of this service will no doubt have used this service to visit relatives or friends in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital Winchester.

The proposal forms part of cuts that will affect some 31 bus services and 120,000 passenger journeys. The biggest set of bus service cuts in living memory. Yet in February the Leader of the County Council in his Budget speech gave an assurance that "there are no cuts in services".

Cllr Robin Hughes said, "If there is one bus route in Hampshire that is in desperate need of investment and improvement it has to be Andover - Winchester". "Meeting after meeting when discussing hospital services you can guarantee that somebody will complain and quite rightly about the bus service between Andover and Winchester."

"Apparently the decision to make these bus service cuts supports Aim 1 (Maximising Life Opportunities) of the County Council's Corporate Strategy by prioritising support for public transport services for people to access employment, education, shopping and medical facilities according to the level passenger subsidy per journey." "I have no doubt cutting this Sunday Bus service will cause hardship to those living in and around Andover who have to rely on public transport to access the County hospital."