RESIDENTS in The Herald area are up in arms about new bus cuts delivered by Tory-run Hampshire County Council and claim that the reduction in service will leave many regular bus users stranded. HCC has cut the route 18 Aldershot to Bordon/ Haslemere evening service claiming that this should have little impact on bus users. However residents from Farnham to Whitehill are furious with the decision and want to see the service resumed at least partially. Derek Asker, who lives in Wrecclesham and is a regular user of the bus service said: "Stopping bus services 18 after 7pm has had a huge impact on the people in this community. " "This decision could have an impact on people's careers. Many people are just coming in from work at 7pm. How are they supposed to get home after arriving at Farnham on the train, especially if they live in Bordon. It may mean some people will have to change jobs because of the cut in service. "The service is important socially too. Seven pm is also the time when some people go out for the evening. "The bus pass is a god send. When older people travel on the bus it becomes a social occasion. You meet people regularly on the bus and it becomes a community. The people at the council don't seem to realise that. "I often travel into Aldershot to see my son and his family. The cut in service means that if I want to stay a little longer I will have to take my car so I can be sure of getting home again. When government and councils are so concerned about carbon footprints, this will make the situation worse." Mr Moxham from Headley Down said: "This decision to cut the bus service has essentially left people who live in Bordon and Whitehill stranded. The last bus out of Aldershot to Haslemere leaves at 4.20pm and the last bus for Whitehill leaves at 6.36pm. What are we supposed to do after that, especially those people who work in Farnham or get off the train in Farnham? "Why cut four buses. Why not just two. Essentially we now have no bus service after 5.30 pm here at Heatherlands leaving people like me without their own transport stranded until 6.40 in the morning. This is ridiculous state of affairs and something should be done" Hampshire County Council executive member for environment, Mel Kendal said: "I have thought very carefully about the criteria for which services should be put forward for consideration. After looking at the reasons why people use buses, we've prioritised access to work, education and training, health and food shopping which is why the majority of the services due for consideration run on Sundays and weekday evenings. The bottom line – as outlined in the leader's budget speech in February – is the continued need to put our money where the need is greatest. Reducing a £6 million budget by £500,000 is a challenge. "Our selection is based on a combination of getting value for money from the council taxpayers' purse and minimising impact on the majority of bus passengers. Our calculations show that on average, fewer than 10 passengers per journey are affected by the proposals in the majority of cases. It's worth remembering too that the reason we subsidise services with council taxpayers' money is because there are too few passengers to run them as a viable business proposition. "We have examined all areas of the budget and decided to concentrate on those services least likely to affect people's essential journeys so that the vast majority of passengers are unaffected. Services that can be used by any member of the public, but are specifically designed for school pupils, are unaffected by the proposals. "I do appreciate that these measures, will have an impact on the particular users of those services, but maintaining provision as it stands isn't a viable option. "In other areas, the county council's support for bus services continues to be strong. We're in the process of identifying where journeys could instead be more cost effectively provided through community transport, operated by the voluntary sector with funding from us, or through alternatives such as shared taxis. Our next step is to work with the voluntary sector to assess if further capacity can be developed, enabling even more trips to be provided by communities themselves. "Several of our Quality Bus Partnership routes are also enjoying an increase in passenger numbers, thanks to significant investment from the county council and operators in making these routes real alternatives to the car."
