Nine bus services in the East Hampshire and Winchester areas will continue offering services for the next four years, backed by Hampshire County Council.

Buses serving Alton, Ropley, Alresford, Liphook, Petersfield, Buriton and villages surrounding Winchester have been tendered via the Dynamic Purchasing System and if approved, the contracts will be funded from the Public Bus budget at an annual cost of £461,021.

They will be granted for a four-year duration – from August 1, 2023 – with the option to extend for up to a further two years – until September 2029 – in annual increments at a total maximum cost of £3,557,059.

Services 240 (Ropley-Alresford), 250 (Liphook Village Circular), 38 (Alton-Peterfield), 94 (Buriton-Petersfield), 46 (Winchester-North Baddesley) and 63 (Winchester-Owslebury) will operate the same route and frequency with no changes.

While service C41 (New Alresford-Basingstoke) and 95 (East Stratton-Winchester) will be combined with minor variations in times and days of operation but with the same level of offer. Both routes will continue to offer one off-peak round trip per day.

Service 67 (Winchester-Petersfield), which operates Monday to Saturday, currently offers seven roundtrips per day inclusive off-peak, off-peak and a Home to School element with four journeys working on a Saturday.

It will maintain the same timetable but with curtailment at West Meon Hut for the last weekday peak journey departing Winchester at 17:50, the first journey on a Saturday now departing West Meon at 07:57, and the final Saturday journey from Winchester departing at 17:57.

The executive lead member for universal services, Cllr Nick Adams-King is expected to approve the new tenders on Monday (March 15).