Save the no. 86 bus route

The no. 86 bus service is relied upon by local residents for various reasons including:

- Peter Symonds College (PSC) students getting to and from college for lessons that start and finish at different times each day;

- getting to work: this disproportionately affects NHS, care and shift workers who are traditionally amongst the lowest paid;

- attending hospital appointments;

- onward transport connections by rail and bus to Southampton, Alton, Romsey and other localities; and

- combatting isolation and loneliness, especially amongst the elderly and mobility-impaired, allowing for (amongst other things) visiting/meeting family and friends, attending community groups, shopping and leisure – as reflected in the core policies of Hampshire County Council’s local Travel Plan (LTP4) (https://documents.hants.gov.uk/transport/hampshire-local-transport-plan-4-2024.pdf).

Without any form of public consultation that we are aware of, Stagecoach proposes to reduce the 86 service to 2 shortened journeys in each direction, term-time weekdays only.

In addition to negatively impacting the types of user listed above, from a Whitchurch-specific point of view, this means a cessation of bus connections with the town’s train station, thus removing existing integrated bus-train transport provision. It will also mean a minimal Winchester bus service for the residents, staff and visitors of the 4 different residential settings for the town’s elderly. Other villages – and not just Overton and Oakley – will have their own concerns.

Everyone will find their access to their closest city has been dramatically reduced.

Stagecoach states the reduction in service is because the 86 is currently underused and, not being in receipt of subsidy, is therefore not commercially viable.

HOWEVER, we say:

1. Users of the current service already often experience overcrowded morning buses, meaning by the time Winchester-bound buses reach Whitchurch, (1) passengers (particularly PSC students) are often left stranded, (2) buses travelling on the A34 are standing-room only, the safety implications of which hardly need spelling out. (PSC students pay £800 a year for this!)

2. Stagecoach's proposed replacement route via Andover will not be a suitable substitute since it seems likely that it will add on an hour's travel in each direction.

3. The “underuse” argument seems undermined by the provision of additional buses on alternative routes.

4. So far as we can tell from publicly available information, it is not true that Stagecoach receives no subsidy. Hampshire County Council (HCC) already subsidises certain Stagecoach services.

Many people of all ages have recently moved to Whitchurch in part because of the ease of reaching Winchester for work, education, health and social reasons (Winchester itself not being affordable for the vast majority of people). This matter is not simply a question of convenience, it is about preserving quality of life. The proposed changes will disproportionately affect those who don’t drive, and those on lower income, and therefore has significant social justice implications.

The lack of regard for these issues, coupled with the lack of public consultation, would indicate that the decision to cut the 86 service is manifestly ill-judged and should be reversed.