Campaign group Waterside Changemakers hits out at changes to Bluestar’s Calshot bus routes

CHANGES to buses on the Waterside will leave villagers with a heavily reduced service with gaps of hours, a campaign group is warning.

As reported in the A&T, Waterside Changemakers launched its Better Buses for the Waterside campaign, calling on bus operator Bluestar to boost what it offers to the area.

While the group says it welcomes the organisation’s announcement of an increase in buses on the number nine route linking Fawley with Southampton – which will now run every 20 minutes – it is “gravely concerned” that residents in Calshot are to lose services.

A spokesperson for the group told the A&T: “While the group is delighted that many Waterside residents will be getting a better service from 1st September, Calshot will lose half its buses from Monday to Friday.

“There will be a five-hour gap between services departing from Calshot on weekdays from 9.34am to 2.29pm and then another three-and-a-half-hour gap until 6.03pm. Calshot will continue to have an hourly service at weekends.”

The campaign group says the lack of buses will impact residents greatly, as Calshot has no shops and the road to Fawley village is “dangerous” for pedestrians.

Calshot resident Gabi Sprechert said the area already experienced a restricted service compared to other areas in the Waterside.

“I have two teenage sons who would like to be more independent with their travel, but this is near on impossible with the current frequency. I personally would also like to use the bus should I wish to go out in the evening, but that option isn’t available to me.

“I was hoping, with the new timetable, that this, along with the frequency of services, would be addressed. I’m shocked to discover that although one later bus has been added in the evening, the service throughout the day has been greatly reduced leaving gaps of four to five hours between buses at points.”

Gabi added: “I’m fortunate enough to drive, but there are many people who rely solely on the bus service to take them to appointments and work, or to access shops and the local community. These changes are going to impact even further on what is already a skeleton service.

“With the government encouraging the use of public transport to reduce congestion and pollution, I’m baffled as to how it has been allowed by the local council for a residential area, which also includes access to a popular beach and a busy activity and water sports centre, to be left with just a few buses running throughout the day.”

She said buses between Fawley and Calshot do not currently run after 7pm, meaning anyone using the service would have at least a 30-minute walk along a busy road with limited pathways and lighting.

“This is precarious enough during daylight hours, but would be very dangerous at night,” she added.

Pensioner Jo Taylor told the A&T the changes made her bus pass effectively useless.

“I might as well mothball my bus pass,” she said. “If I want to shop and get back to Calshot I will have to get the 8.25am bus from Calshot to Blackfield, do a quick dash to the bakers and the two small supermarkets we have.

“I can also manage a quick dash to the chemist before I will have to be back at the bus stop by 9.15am to get the bus back home. No longer can I book a doctors appointment and if I had a child at school and heaven forbid they are unwell, you can't just pop on a bus to get them.

“I could get the 9.34am out of Calshot and use my bus pass, but I can’t get a bus home till mid-afternoon.”

She said she has written to Cllr Alexis McEvoy, the county councillor for the area, to highlight the problem, adding: “I have suggested that the decision makers walk with me from Fawley with two bags of shopping and just see what a wonderful walk it is – [the] footpath runs out by Badminston Lane and from then on you are in the road with quarry traffic, traffic to the power station site, white van men, tractors and cars.”

In Marchwood, services will remain hourly, something the group says is not good enough for the “thousands” who rely on it. There had been hopes Bluestar would return to a more frequent pre-pandemic timetable.

The group says the needs of “vulnerable” residents are being sacrificed in order for Bluestar to provide more frequent services elsewhere.

The spokesperson added: “It would seem to make more sense to use available public money to support services which bus companies claim are not commercially viable, rather than spending it on routes where they already make a profit.

“Five weeks ago we requested a meeting with Hampshire County Council’s transport officers about these issues and we hope they will find time soon to meet us.”

General manager for Bluestar, Richard Tyldsley, told the A&T: “Demand for services from Calshot during the week is low, so we can’t currently justify an hourly service here. We have though tailored some key journeys to operate at the times when the most people travel. We regularly review demand for our services, and make changes to frequency accordingly.”

The A&T has contacted HCC for comment.