Reply to THIS thread
Start a NEW Talkback Thread
Talkback Home

Hampshire transport Consultation - Councillor Barbara Easton (11th Mar 2014 - 23:00:09) I would like to make people aware that every few years Hampshire County Council review the bus services which they subsidise. One of these services is the 250 currently running in Liphook, mornings only. The last time the consultation happened, the service was cut from running mornings and afternoons, and was under threat of being discontinued altogether. They are now running the consultation again, and it is available for the public to put comments online. Please encourage everyone to go online to complete this consultation, as if there is no perceived public support for the service, it is in danger of being withdrawn. The only reason it was saved to run mornings only was because the public completed the consultation forms, giving their support. Unfortunately Hants County Council appear to only offer the consultation online and not any other way. It is available on www.hants.gov.uk on the public, community and school transport homepage. Perhaps the editor will provide the link please to this consultation? please give high publicity to this as I know that some users may not have the facility to complete the consultation themselves online. Took some finding ! But here it is - www3.hants.gov.uk/passengertransport/...

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Rachel (12th Mar 2014 - 09:47:18) I am a regular user of this bus service. Thank you so much for informing us about the survey. When the bus was cut from all day to just 3 hours, it was a massive blow to all us users. It has made it very difficult to fit appointments alongside shopping in such a short space of time. If we loose this service it will be devastating. It is such a lifeline. Long may it continue.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Councillor B Easton (12th Mar 2014 - 13:28:47) Thank you Rachel. It is important you spread the word to the other users. There is at the bottom of it all a move to replace this service with the call and go system. Also, to be saved, the service has to become more cost effective ie used by people who are not using free passes. If it makes a profit instead of a loss they would keep it obviously.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Allison (12th Mar 2014 - 19:22:50) Hi Rachel I'm the woman who goes to the station sometimes on the bus, occasionally with my 2 teenage daughters. We have spoken to each other. I would like to help support the 250. Would you be kind enough to email me at handh_1984@sky.com as I would appreciate a chat about how I can help. For those who don't know the 250 bus, it is a lifeline for those who need it. It now runs between 9.30 and 12.30 around the main parts of the village. It stops on request anywhere apart from in The Square and drops people back as near to their gate as possible. Most of the users are older people with no transport who need it to get to the doctor's, the dentist, the shops, the hairdressers, to buy a newspaper and to see other people. The community spirit on board has overcome the problem of getting a shopping trolly onto the mini bus and everyone helps each other. If you only do one thing for someone else this year, please support the 250 bus service.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Rachel (12th Mar 2014 - 19:58:21) Interestingly enough, I have spoken with other regular users of this bus service and we all agree that there should be a small charge made regardless weather you have a free pass or not! We would all much rather pay a small subsidy than risk loosing the service completely!

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Angela (12th Mar 2014 - 21:52:40) Sounds like a good idea to me Rachel I know how important this bus service is so I do hope we keep it

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Councillor Barbara Easton (12th Mar 2014 - 23:10:49) The consultation is being handled by the office of Peter Shelley Head of Passenger Transport Economy, Transport and Environment At Hampshire County Council Capital House 48-52 Andover Road Winchester S023 7BH Your County Councillor for Transport matters is Ferris Cowper, who has already expressed his concerns over the consultation.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - dawn (13th Mar 2014 - 13:15:33) Thank you Cllr for drawing our attention to this. I have filled out the form on-line. It was a bit disappointing not to have a comments section, as I would have liked to have mentioned the lack of connectivity between Hampshire and Surrey. It would be so good to be able to get a bus to the next village - as it is to get to Haslemere is an all day effort on public transport! Please if you use the buses fill this out and share with all your fiends (I have put the ink on facebook to raise awareness).

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Rachel (13th Mar 2014 - 21:54:47) Oh Dawn, I couldn't agree with you more! Liphook and Haslemere are next door neighbours yet there is no bus service between the two! This is a very odd state of affairs! Like you said, getting to Haslemere can turn out to be an all day excursion!

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Councillor Barbara Easton (14th Mar 2014 - 00:48:30) Hopefully if enough private individuals go on line to complete the firm we stand a chance of retaining this service. I do not believe that if the 250 is withdrawn it would be replace by a service going to Haslemere. The issue is can we keep our existing service? Please do spread the word to the bus users to complete the survey.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Richard (14th Mar 2014 - 21:59:01) I may be missing the point here...but as there is a train service between Liphook and Haslemere, would it not be redundant to have a bus link?

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Allison (15th Mar 2014 - 09:00:30) Hi Richard There is no disabled access at Liphook so going to Haslemere and returning means having to go up the stairs, over the bridge and down the stairs at the other side. The staion at Haslemere is also a walk away from the shops and mostly uphill. I think a bus service to Haslemere is however unlikely. Councillor Easton Can I ask what the Parish Council is going to do to support the continuation of the 250 please? The consulation process puts the 250 at a huge disadvantage because very few people need to use it and would be affected by its loss. For those affected it would however be life-changing. Thank you.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Jay W (15th Mar 2014 - 09:28:01) Have helped an elderly relative with no internet complete it. But how do I link it to my Facebook? I could ask the kids but as it's not yet 9.30 on a Saturday they are still in bed!

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Councillor B Easton (16th Mar 2014 - 09:46:46) The Parish council has a separate consultation to complete.What would help save it though is the public completing the consultation in such vast numbers that they could not ignore the strength of feeling. The Parish Council can lobby the County Councillor Ferris Cowper who is just as concerned about the possible loss of this service I will also ask if the consultation can be posted in, for people who are not online. I do not know how to link it to facebook. How about those with twitter accounts? Would that spread the word?

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - councillor B Easton (18th Mar 2014 - 11:24:12) Just keeping this on the top of the thread. I have arranged that if anyone wants to complete the consultation by hard copy, in the Parish Office, we will send it on to Winchester for you. I know that those people who do not have internet access will not read this site but please pass the information on to them. I would hate to see us lose this service due to lack of interest on our part!

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Councillor B Easton (25th Mar 2014 - 15:28:46) Sorry to keep going on about this subject but so far I have been informed that no one has gone into the Parish Office to complete the transport consultation. Please publicise to any one you feel would benefit from using the bus service. If the service is withdrawn, the only bus left will be the number 13. The number 18 bus is also under threat in the same way.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Rachel (26th Mar 2014 - 15:00:55) Hi, I have tried on more than one occasion to go in to the office to collect some forms, but whenever I try they are always closed! I have completed mine on-line but have friends that use the 205 who do not have access to a computer.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - councillor b esston (26th Mar 2014 - 15:12:22) The form can be printed off? It is the same form that is on the website. The Parish office is ooen every weekday morning, until One. I will also leave some forms in the peak centre next door so I believe they are open longer on certain days of the week? Does yor friend go past the Peak centre?

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Jay W (26th Mar 2014 - 21:29:28) Just a thought Councillor Easton, but maybe it would be worth asking if you could leave some forms with the magazines in the Doctors' surgeries or library? Or perhaps on the notice board inside the village hall and the millennium centre? I believe over 60s (or similar) meet there and I believe it is that age group in particular who would be stuck without the service.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - councilor B Easton (27th Mar 2014 - 11:35:03) good Idea i will try and take some around places like that. I am not feeling well at the moment but perhaps another councillor would help as well.Thank you

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - councillorB Easton (28th Mar 2014 - 14:24:54) in answer to those previous posters Councillor Robinson yesterday kindly took some consultation forms into the Peak Centre and the Library for those people who cannot pick them up from the Parish office or use a computer at home. The Parish Office will post them to Hampshire County Council if you leave them in the letter box or with a staff member if you want to go into Liphook when the office is closed. Thank you Councillor Robinson and everyone who is giving publicity to this, and also to Councillor Cowper for highlighting this in the Local paper last week.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Allison (28th Mar 2014 - 19:12:32) I spoke to the Community Transport Project Officer this afternoon and hard copies of the consultation form will be available on the 250 bus and the 13 bus shortly for passengers to pick up. Hard copies of forms will also be sent on request. Please ring Rachel on 01962 846 785. I suggested getting forms in to the GP surgeries and she agreed to try and do that. I made the point to Rachel that the form is aimed at people who can say that they use the service and explain the impact its loss would have on them. She said that the best way for people to make comments supporting the service, even if they do not use it themselves, is to use the form and add their comments at the end. If writing a letter, it would be better to attach it to the form so that on receipt it is clearly part of the consultation. Really BIG ask here, but please take a few minutes to support our buses. The form takes just a few minutes to fill in and keeping the 250 for those who really, really need it will make a big difference. The Citizens Advice Bureau locally is aware of the threat to the 250 bus and it would be worth people ringing on the number below and explaining why this service needs to continue. Points to make could be that older people needing help from CAB would not be able to get to the Millenium Hall, where the CAB office is situatied, without the 250 bus. Also make general points about access to services, GPs etc. Number is 0844 411 1306. Thank you for reading this; please do what you can to help.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Nicky (28th Mar 2014 - 19:56:26) I am replying on behalf of my mother who lives in Hunters Chase and has no access to the internet. This bus service is her only lifeline to the village on which she relies heavily to get to the doctors, sainsburys etc... It is difficult enough to get transport to places like the Royal Surrey Hospital which is run by many kind community minded volunteers but to lose this service will leave her totally isolated. It seems that the world and his wife want to build many hundreds of houses in Liphook which will come no doubt with many cars too. We have no infrastructure to cope with these on our country roads and taking away this bus service will only compound this issue. Please think through all the implications before making what will have massive implications both for the village and individuals.

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - jackie (29th Mar 2014 - 07:02:37) Liphook Care charity shop and Sainsbury' s may put some on their Desks? Or a display table in the foyer of Sainsbury' s explaining the consultation?

Re: Hampshire transport Consultation - Allison (1st Apr 2014 - 10:56:56) Just moving this into sight again. Do please support this service. Thank you.

Reply to THIS thread
Talkback Home