AN Alton schoolgirl is to raise concerns with Stagecoach South over the safety of passengers travelling on the No 72 bus from Petersfield to Alton.

Megan Hornsby (14) has written to Stagecoach asking why the service is now being provided by a single rather than a double decker bus which, during school run time, is resulting in pupils having to sit on one anotherÕs laps or standing in the aisle.

Megan and her Amery Hill School colleague Lucy King (14) use the bus to travel from their homes in Selborne to Alton and back.

They are joined on a regular basis by up to 13 other people who board the 7-25 am Petersfield bus at round 7-58 am in Selborne. ÒThere is never enough room for all the passengers to sit down,Ó says Megan.

And during the return trip, in the afternoon, the situation is often worse. The bus leaves Amery Hill at 3 pm and then goes on to collect EggarÕs students before heading into town where it picks up yet more people in the High Street.

ÒBy the time all the EggarÕs students have got on the bus is crowded, with many people sitting on other peopleÕs laps. As everyone wants to get on the bus we have no choice but to cram more people on a seat,Ó said Megan who points out that, in the afternoon in particular, more people are standing - a situation which she feels puts everyone at risk.

ÒAll it needs is the driver to break sharply and who knows what trouble it could cause,Ó she said

In addition, the bus is often hot, dusty and airless, and asthma sufferers find it uncomfortable to travel long distances.

Megan and Lucy have collected a large number of signatures to back their letter which, they hope, will result in a return to a double-decker bus to meet the needs of those travelling during school run times.

Commending the action of the students in expressing their concerns, commercial manager for Stagecoach South, Edward Hodgson, has confirmed that the decision to change the bus from double to single decker was taken following a survey undertaken during April and May of this year.

While the 7-55 am from Petersfield serving Alton College and the return service leaving Alton at 4-40 pm is now served by two double-decker buses to meet demand, it was felt that all other provision on the 72 route could be adequately accommodated by single-decker vehicles. This decision had been put in place following the awarding of new contracts from June 2.

Mr Hodgson was surprised to find any problems at this time of the year, when secondary school pupils are traditionally undertaking exams with a resulting reduction in numbers of those travelling at normal school run times.

He further pointed out that the single-decker bus in use at present on the 72 run had 48 seats and was licensed to carry up to 22 standing passengers.

It was still within legal limits and would not be overloading the bus to have passengers standing, up to that number, he said.

However, on hearing of the concerns raised by Megan and her friends, Mr Hodgson checked with the ticket machines and with one of the bus drivers to ensure that the bus had not been operating illegally, which it had not. However, he agreed to look further into the matter and in particular at any problems raised during the afternoon run when the bus appears to pick up a large number of passengers travelling from EggarÕs into the High Street.

Mr Hodgson said he welcomes any input from passengers regarding Stagecoach bus services. ÒIf we donÕt know about the problems we canÕt sort them out, nor can be hope to achieve our aim which is to provide a seat for everyone,Ó he said.

The problems currently being experienced by the Amery Hill students are exactly the kind of feedback East Hampshire District Council is hoping for in response to its Safer Routes to Schools programme.

According to local councillor Bob Booker, the aim is to encourage pupils to carry out a travel survey to highlight current methods of travel and how they could be made safer and more environmentally acceptable.

ÒResponses so far seem to indicate that young people would welcome the opportunity to walk or cycle safely to school, or to use public transport rather than having to rely on parents and cars,Ó said Mr Booker, who is delighted that Amery Hill School has agreed to take part in the survey and is very much hoping that EggarÕs will follow suit.