A RESIDENT from Oliver’s Battery has been battling for a better transport service after buses in the area were reduced to two times a week.

Lloyd Brammer, 62, has been calling for improvements since Creta Coaches took over the number 63 from Stagecoach in November.

The bus, which runs from Winchester to Owslebury, now only operates on Mondays and Thursdays, visiting the Oliver’s Battery stop in Sunnydown Road three times a day.

Mr Brammer says the given timetable is the service “at best” and “greatly outweighs” residents’ needs.

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Hampshire Chronicle:

He said: “It’s terrible, people without transport now have great difficulty travelling and it’s negatively impacting their way of life. I feel for the residents of all different ages from young families to elderly people who can’t walk a mile to the number 5 bus stop instead.

“All other areas have good bus services but Oliver’s Battery has been neglected. All we need is for Stagecoach to take a 10-minute detour to pick up residents here too."

Mr Brammer has been in contact with Hampshire County Council to try and improve the service. In response, Cllr Edward Heron who was previously in charge of council transport suggested residents use Dial-A-Ride but the door-to-door bookable service means people who usually get free bus travel have to pay £5 to £7 per trip.

Mr Brammer, who qualifies for free bus travel due to being disabled since his stroke six years ago, said: “Dial-A-Ride is not a solution. I have been totally ignored since early November 2022. So now they've left us all in Olivers Battery with nowhere to turn to, feeling completely let down by Hampshire County Council, isolated, secluded and abandoned.”

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Cllr Heron said: “Mr Brammer has received considerable email correspondence from myself and the department in respect of matters he has raised.”

A council spokesperson said: “Bus services in Hampshire are operated independently and commercially by a range of bus operators. For a small proportion of services (less than 10 per cent) with insufficient fare paying passenger numbers to cover the operating costs, the authority pays the operator a subsidy to maintain a service. The 63 service currently operated by Cresta Coaches, who took over the service in a bid to reduce Stagecoach’s operating pressures, is one such service.

“Unfortunately, in the face of inflationary pressures and reduced Government funding, it is not possible for the council to extend that support for the operator to increase the frequency of services. 

"Dial-a-Ride is a service that is jointly funded by Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council, although bus passes are not accepted on this publicly funded service, fares are in line with other commercial local bus services. However, it’s important to note that the level of service is higher as it caters for door-to-door on-demand journeys."