THE future of two vital Petersfield bus links has been assured this week with the news that a new operator is to take over on January 7. A spokesman for Hampshire County Council told The Herald on Wednesday that the 94 bus, which links Petersfield town centre with Penns Place, and the 95 service, which links the town with outlying villages including Froxfield and Buriton, is to be taken over by Countryliner. A new timetable for the two buses will be available in the new year, it has been revealed. Doubts about the future of the buses arose last summer when they faced the threat of having county council subsidies axed. In July, the county council reached an 11th-hour contract agreement with Stagecoach after announcing that Minerva Accord's deal for the 94 bus was to end on July 22. At the same time, it was announced that Minerva Accord would continue to operate the 95 service with no change to its timetable. But towards the end of the year bus passengers became alarmed again at the possibility that they could lose the two services at the end of 2006. They urged Hampshire County Council to consult them before a decision was taken on whether or not to keep the two routes. The decision was due to be taken six days before Christmas, but it was delayed while councillors considered bids made by bus service providers. It was not until this week that the details began to emerge.
