Bus service serving River Way and Pilgrims Way set to be cut

George Gibbs, who suffers from spinal stenosis, said Stagecoach is failing to serve the River Way and Pilgrims Way communities by its decision to cut the number 2 service from 25 March.

Stagecoach decided to axe the bus due to reducing demand, with the nearest bus service now running from Tesco River Way.

Mr Gibbs said: “People who are disabled or old will be stuck in their houses because they can’t get to town if they can’t use this. It’s our lifeline.

“They have put [25 March as] a day of execution, [they should] put it off at least three months to look at the decision so people can talk about it and see what they can actively do instead of rushing in.”

St Mary’s ward councillor, Iris Andersen, has backed Mr Gibbs’ position and they have contacted Stagecoach on the matter.

Cllr Andersen said: “I am shocked on this drastic decision.

“Between River Way and Pilgrims Way we have 600 houses, maybe more. I have a lot of my elderly residents very upset about this, they feel they are going to be more isolated than ever. A lot have told me they can’t afford taxis as they are on basic pensions.

“Some of them can’t walk too far, and to be told to go to Tesco to get the bus was a bit much.”

Stagecoach Andover operations manager, Melanie Keylock, said: “Demand for bus services varies over time and, whilst we have successfully operated service 2 for many years, demand has been reducing each year and has now reached the point where the number of people using the service does not make it is not sustainable.

“We continue to run a comprehensive network of local bus services throughout Test Valley but we regret that the declining demand has forced us to discontinue route 2 in Andover.

“We would like to thank our loyal passengers for their custom over the years and we are very sad that we can no longer continue to directly serve the River Way estate, going forward.”

Cllr Andersen has since said she will look into other options.