CUTS to bus services in Whitehill and Bordon have come under fire from residents this week, adding to the previous complaints of district and parish councillors. The number 18 Stagecoach service, which connects Aldershot, Farnham, Bordon, Headley, Hindhead and Haslemere, has fallen victim to cuts in the county council's budget, with evening and sunday services being reduced. Pippa Ellwood of Fir Grove Road, Whitehill said: "Our daughter, Stephanie, has a weekend job in Farnham, and following the bus cuts, it is impossible for her to get to work on time on Sundays. "It is well known to everyone, that shops are open from 10am to 4pm on a Sunday, but the morning service that would get her into work on time has stopped, meaning that we need to give her a lift." Stephanie, a student at Alton College, travels on the bus daily and has a reduced price season pass, which priced £450. "Why do I pay all that money for my daughter to use public transport, only to have to drive her backwards and forwards to work? "We are being encouraged to think of the environment when we travel, but the fact is it (council) doesn't make it a reality. "We now have to drive her into work and pick her up on a Sunday, which not only costs us money in fuel and wear and tear on the car, but also increases the carbon footprint on our world. "I strongly suspect that this new timetable affects a lot of other parents, whose children need to get into work also." In response to a complaint made by Mrs Ellwood, the commercial director of Stagecoach south, Edward Hodgson said: "Most bus services run by Stagecoach are provided on a commercial basis, relying on fares taken to cover the operating costs of the service. "At certain times of day, or days of the week, the numbers using bus services are sadly much lower than the number required to make the service commercially viable. "Evening and Sunday services in particular fall into this category." However, Mrs Ellwood believes that the response from Stagecoach leaves a lot of unanswered questions. She said: "The response I received from Stagecoach doesn't really address the issue – there are people left without transport and the fact that the numbers using bus services are relatively low does not explain why it doesn't use smaller mini-buses at quieter times and reorganise the timetable. "While it would still need to employ a driver, using a smaller bus would save a great deal of money on fuel and reduce our carbon footprint." With only 45 days left before the council finalise the cuts, a petition has been launched. Anyone who wants to log their objection to the council's bus service cuts, can sign a petition which is available to sign in any one of the Bordon, Alton or the Petersfield Herald offices.
