MORE than 200 people have responded to a travel questionnaire produced by East Hampshire District CouncilÕs transport department.

People have had the chance over the past couple of months to air their views about possible ways of restructuring the bus routes to accommodate the loss of the Number 38 service which ran between Liss Forest and Whitehill.

The feedback from the responses is set to be discussed in detail at a meeting of the local parish and town councils tomorrow (Saturday) at 10 am, chaired by the leader of EHDC and member of Liss Parish Council, Elizabeth Cartwright.

The meeting has been organised by Liss Parish Council and will take place at Liss village hall.

Transport provider AMK will be giving a presentation at the meeting, and members of the public are welcome to attend.

The results of the survey show that more than half (54 per cent) of journeys carried out in the last six months took part in that section of the Number 38 route that is now closed.

In this period journeys made on an occasional or weekly basis totalled 69 per cent.

The survey also found that more than half of the journeys made were to access shops and banks (52 per cent). Twenty-one per cent of the journeys were used to visit friends or for days out, 11 per cent to get to and from work, and eight per cent to access hospitals and medical facilities. A further eight per cent covered other reasons.

Sixty six people stated that the withdrawal of the 38 service had led to problems of isolation. Many found it difficult to get to shops or to visit the doctor.

In addition, many bus users felt that the alternatives, such as use of the rail-bus link to Liphook and the train to Petersfield, were both time-consuming and costly.

A huge 83 per cent stated they would use a new service between Bordon/Whitehill and Petersfield, with 90 per cent wanting a daily service.

One of the surprising findings of the survey was that more people used the old 38 service to Petersfield from Whitehill than used the 18 service to Farnham and Haslemere.

Eighty-three per cent of people in the Whitehill survey stated they would use a new service between Whitehill/Bordon and Petersfield if it were introduced.

The questionnaire appeared in The Herald and was also available at all of the parish councils whose areas were affected.