TV cameras came to Alton to film a news item highlighting the impact of cuts to the bus service for those living at the eastern end of town.

Passengers waiting for the bus at noon told Meridian Tonight reporter Richard Slee of the distress caused by the axing of a service that enabled them to travel into town from Monday to Saturday. Its replacement is a two-hourly service from Monday to Friday that leaves them with insufficient time to accomplish what they need to in town. The loss was inconvenient and isolating, they said.

Stagecoach managing director Edward Hodgson said the town centre service did not make money and that the 65, which had provided the service, was being delayed by traffic in Farnham and Guildford, so the obvious answer was to shorten the route by cutting out the loop which took in Alton’s Wootey and Manor estates. He was echoing the words of Stagecoach South operating director Gordon Frost when he met members of Alton Town Council to discuss the issue on Wednesday, July 26. At that meeting Mr Frost explained that bus services are expected to meet an 80 per cent punctuality standard and if they fail to do so can be fined £550 per journey by the Traffic Commission – which see the operator paying more than £112,000.

The 65, he said, had been moving rapidly towards that penalty point and it had become “too great a risk to take.”

He further pointed out that an average of 28 passengers per day used the service and the majority of them used Hampshire County Council (HCC) subsidised passes, so netted Stagecoach £1 per journey, or £28 over a 13-hour time frame.

But he said he thought the route had been scheduled to run for four hours, until 2pm.

Ward councillor Derek Gardner said the provision was “half a service” that enabled residents to get into town but failed to get them back in the afternoon and Mr Frost was urged to consider extending it to the full four hours.

Giving an indication that he would look into the situation, while reiterating that “everything we do is on a commercial basis” the Stagecoach MD added that changes to services normally took up to eight weeks to deliver.

It was apparent, however, that Stagecoach would be unable and unwilling to provide a Saturday service and that it would be down to the town to look into the provision of a community transport solution, possibly funded by developers’ Section 106 money.

Alton Town Mayor Dean Phillips later stressed in the Meridian interview that this was about “people, not politics” and that there were folk of all political persuasions working to find a solution to what is a serious problem for residents who depend on the town bus service to support their quality of life.

More than 520 people have already signed a petition, raised by the local Labour party at www.getpetition.com/petitions/save-alton-bus-service.

One of the main concerns, expressed by Manor estate resident, Jeremy Bayliss, was the lack of communication by Stagecoach. “If we knew that we were definitely going to get the No 9 extended to four hours, it would set a lot of people’s minds at rest. Then we could concentrate on how to get into town on a Saturday.”

County councillor Andrew Joy was keen to highlight alternative forms of transport that could help.

He directs people to the Passenger Transport website to be found at www.

hants.gov.uk/transport/ which flags up such services as Alton Dial-a-Ride (01420 475759) , which offers travel at a cost comparable to local bus fares, in a minibus adapted to take wheelchairs; East Hampshire Call & Go, also available on Tuesdays and on Saturdays for special outings (01420 475759); and Dave’s Taxis (01420 89090) available 24/7, at a pre-agreed cost.