A BUS company operator is calling on passengers to enlist the support of their MPs to change a "ridiculous" EU ruling that imposes the same driver limitations on them as it does on long-distance coach companies. The legislation, which applies to any journey over 31 miles, requires a tachograph to be fitted to the vehicle to record the length of time the driver works. Stagecoach South commercial director Edward Hodgson said the ruling is having a serious impact, especially on rural bus services, where many of the routes are over 31 miles, causing bus companies to split routes, sometimes into three, to comply with journey time rules. It has meant the splitting of the Winchester to Guildford journey. Passengers using the 64 and X64 service will now have the inconvenience of changing services at Alton railway station. The 64 and X64 will still operate between Alton and Winchester, but it will be necessary to change to the X65 to continue on to Farnham and Guildford. Mr Hodgson said that Alton had been chosen as the best place to carry out the changeover as it would be likely to affect fewer people – the service is used by more people who do just part of the journey between Winchester and Alton or Guildford and Alton than by those who travel straight through. But Stagecoach was aware that it would still cause inconvenience to some. While there is a bus shelter at the station, Mr Hodgson felt that there would inevitably be a period of delay between services with passengers having to wait for the connection. He spoke of the "frustration" of the situation for the bus company. "The service is obviously providing a local need but we have been caught up in regulations that are meant for long-distance coach companies travelling to the south of Spain. They are really doing a lot of damage to ordinary bus companies like ours." Mr Hodgson said that Stagecoach South had joined the rest of the industry in lobbying both the Government and the EU to try and get the ruling changed with regards to local bus companies. And he urged passengers to lobby their own MPs in support of the campaign. Alton county councillor, Tony Ludlow, is already on the case. He is anxious to hear the views of passengers who may suffer problems resulting from changes to the service, which were introduced last Sunday. Tony Ludlow can be contacted on 01420 83922 or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected] One bus passenger is "outraged" by the situation. Chris Campbell has challenged the bus company to change the emphasis of the split service by putting passenger needs first and getting the drivers to change buses rather than the other way round. It would mean that the passengers do not have to disembark and wait for a connection in the cold. He points out that passengers wanting to travel to Winchester from the Holybourne end of town now have a three-minute journey into Alton before having to get off and wait for another seven minutes for a connection. And on the way back the wait is even longer. Mr Campbell said: "A lot of people, particularly the disabled, will be put off using the service if they have to change buses in Alton. It will affect people in a major way." l According to Stagecoach, the Winchester to Guildford service will still operate on an hourly basis Monday to Saturday, with the first bus to Winchester leaving Alton Station at 6.48am and the last bus from Winchester arriving back in Alton at just after 10pm. The first bus to Guildford from Alton will depart Alton High Street at 6.53am and the last bus back will be in Alton at 7.20pm. The service does not run on a Sunday. The timetable can be found at http://www.stagecoachbus.com/region_11.html">www.stagecoachbus.com/region_11.html
