THE number 65 bus service from Alton to Farnham has been granted a temporary 11-month reprieve – a decision heralded as “great news” by passengers who feared that they were about to have a valued public transport link pulled from under their feet.

But the clear message after the euphoria is “use it or lose it” as communities are given time to demonstrate the importance of the route by using it more, allowing the bus company to look at how to develop a more sustainable service in the future.

Due to be axed by Stagecoach South at the end of the month because it had been deemed unviable, a public meeting hosted by Alton Town Council on August 5 sparked further discussion between Stagecoach and Hampshire County Council which has resulted in a welcome reprieve for the service.

Belatedly recognised, following concerned lobbying by those who use the 65, as “an essential bus service” linking Alton, Bentley and Farnham, Stagecoach South has now confirmed that it will continue to operate the 65 route, using a slightly amended timetable, for at least 11 months.

In a statement, Michael Watson, managing director of Stagecoach South, said: “We have listened to the views of our passengers and will reinstate the 65 route until July 2016. Over the next 11 months, Stagecoach will work hard with the local community to identify a sustainable solution which safeguards a longer-term solution for the service.”

He added: “We have to accept that many people use the train between Alton and Farnham.

“However, while the train line runs parallel to the bus service, our bus stops are more plentiful and often more convenient.”

In addition to serving the needs of commuters and concessionary pass holders in rural areas, Stagecoach has confirmed that the 65 service will continue to connect with the 64 bus to provide “a safe and cost-effective way for students to get to school, college or university” in Winchester, Alton, Farnham and Guildford.

In a report to Alton Town Council’s planning and transportation committee, due to meet as The Herald went to press, town clerk Leah Coney explained how at the August 5 meeting Stagecoach South commercial manager Adam Hawksworth outlined the difficulties of continuing to operate the 65 bus service between Alton and Farnham as a commercially viable operation.

Mr Hawksworth had pointed out that while the 64 Winchester to Alton service was profitable and was to be upgraded to provide an extended half-hourly service, linking up with South West Trains services at Alton railway station, it had been cross subsidising the 65 link to Guildford for a number of years, with a deficit running into thousands of pounds.

According to Mr Hawksworth, the Alton to Farnham stretch of the route currently carries 120 passengers a day but needs to carry more than 300 to break even.

In response, Sue Knight of the county council’s passenger transport team had made clear that the county council was not in a position to subsidise the 65 service, based on costs received during a recent tendering round which had shown that to run the Alton to Farnham route would cost between £85,000 and £100,000 per year. She had contacted Surrey County Council to see if it would be prepared to assist with funding, but it could not.

Set to lose its only bus service if the 65 was to be axed was the village of Bentley whose parish clerk, Jacqueline Hutton, urged Stagecoach to consider a stay of execution to enable a reassessment of the situation by users and provider. She attended the meeting armed with hastily-gathered data which showed that the service attracted at least 133 regular users from Bentley alone who, with the station more than a mile away from the village centre, would be devastated to lose a lifeline to work, college, shops and appointments.

Declaring the reprieve decision “very good news for Bentley”, but under no illusion that the service was still under threat, Mrs Hutton said the plan was to form a village bus users’ group who would look at how to encourage more people to use the service in the future.

With similar plans afoot for Alton, county councillor Andrew Joy said that without the rapid and reasoned reaction by many local people, including Alton Town Council and the Alton Herald, combined with the commitment of the county council’s passenger transport team, and the willingness of StagecoachBus to make adjustments, “residents dependent on bus travel to Farnham and Guildford faced a bleak prospect”.

He added: “The challenge now for both Stagecoach and bus users is to ensure the 65’s future by increasing its appeal.”

Having strongly encouraged the county council’s passenger transport team to pursue all options to retain a service, even if it meant considering alternative road transport schemes‚ Mr Joy added: “The 65 is a social lifeline for many and its loss for some would have been devastating.”

Alton Town Council has confirmed there will be another public meeting with Stagecoach South at Alton Town Hall next Thursday, August 20, at 2pm for further consideration once the tendering process for the controversial 65 service has been completed.