BUS passengers are making themselves heard and the message to Hampshire County Council is loud and clear – don't cut our buses. Since The Herald announced that a petition to save the threatened 67 service was available to sign at its High Street office in Petersfield, the paper has been inundated with responses from passengers set to be "stranded" by the reductions. In addition, the public have taken the protest into their own hands. One Elstead woman took it upon herself to let passengers unaware of the cuts know what was going to happen to their service by joining the 67 bus armed with a petition. The campaign follows an announcement at Hampshire County Council that subsidies to some services on the 38, 67 and 72 routes were to be axed, which has left many passengers high and dry. The cuts came as a result of the county council's desperate need to find extra funding for its massive social services budget. There has been an outcry from bus users in the Petersfield, Bordon and Alton areas who claim vital links to friends, shops, doctors and hospitals have been cut. The strength of public feeling means the county council is increasingly under pressure to rethink its decision to cut subsidies. Petersfield Butser county councillor Sam Payne, frustrated that her pleas to the council were falling on deaf ears, took to the threatened 67 bus herself last month, taking signatures on the journeys that were set to be cut. She said she found that these services were more popular than the council were prepared to admit. "The sad thing is some passengers say there's nothing we can do about the cuts, but we can," said Miss Payne. "Our message is don't let the council think they can get away with it. Apathy will make sure this bus gets cut, activism will save it. If the issue is ignored they will get away with the cuts. If we prove there is enough support the council will have to bow to pressure." The matter was raised at a meeting of Greatham Parish Council on Tuesday as protesters turned out in force to voice their concerns, particularly surrounding the number 38 bus. Greatham parish and East Hampshire district county councillor Judy Onslow said they were concerned about the lack of rural supply of transport. "People in Greatham are concerned about the removal of the bus in Greatham." Mrs Onslow added that the number of people travelling on the buses would determine whether they could keep them going. Greatham woman Dorothy Upfield headed the protests at the meeting and warned councillors some passengers would be stranded. One concerned passenger said that getting around on the buses was her main way of socialising. Cuts to the 38 bus she travels on as a link to Portsmouth would also be a problem if she needed hospital treatment. Executive member for the environment Mel Kendal defended the cuts. He said: "The task facing our passenger transport team was to try to minimise the impact as much as possible by by focussing on accessibility to employment, education, health and shopping services. "By withdrawing journeys in school holiday periods – when fewer people travel – the number of passenger journeys lost can be minimised. "The school holiday journeys on service 72 needed to be included in the economies in order to reach the target savings figure." l People can still make their voices heard as a petition is available to sign at the Petersfield Herald office at 24 High Street, Petersfield.
