IT will be goodbye DoRis and hello to green Hoppa buses for Haslemere and the surrounding area when Waverley's new dial-a-ride service for people with mobility problems is launched this summer.

DoRis, the joint Surrey and West Sussex County Council service, which has been operating for the past two years around Haslemere is to change.

Under a mutual agreement, the DoRis service will be developed within West Sussex when the original scheme ends this year.

A similar service in Waverley should provide an even better dial-a-ride service and will be expanded to help not only people with mobility problems but others who live in isolated areas.

With their distinctive green Hoppa buses with a frog logo expected to be delivered next month, the scheme will provide four buses serving the whole borough.

Funded for the first year from a £404,000 government grant as part of capital costs, an additional £150,00 was made available from the Rural Bus Challenge 2001 this month.

Also included in Waverley's scheme is a plan to provide people carriers suitable for a single wheelchair or for family use. Clive Parkinson of Waverley Community Transport said the service would be "as flexible as possible."

Although there will be an overlap with DoRis, which is due to end in June, the Hoppa scheme fares will be on the lines of ordinary bus fares.

"Primarily it will be for people with mobility problems but also for those who can't access conventional services, including young people at home with children, who could be weighed down with shopping. We want people to be able to ring up at fairly short notice," he added.

The service will complement services undertaken by voluntary organisations. But for the time it will not be able to provide journeys to hospital appointments because of the difficulties in guaranteeing a return trip.

Mr Parkinson said they would be addressing the issue of hospital-related transport at a later stage.

The initial four bases will be in Haslemere, Godalming, Farnham and Cranleigh and services will run in the villages from Monday to Friday.

Mr Parkinson said that if there was a demand, buses would also run at weekends. They could also be used to ferry young people in the evenings.

"Flexibility is the key word," said Mr Parkinson."We want to build on what DoRis has offered and improve the situation."

Buses won't be restricted to Waverley borders, travelling into areas such as Guildford if needed.

The other vehicles may be hired by any driver who would be required to take the MIDAS test and could be hired with or without the driver option to community groups.

The scheme was welcomed by MP Virginia Bottomley, Haslemere's county councillor Christine Stevens and other interested parties. It is hoped that funding after the first year will be through the Countryside Agency Rural Transport Partnership Fund.