Cross-party backing for bus campaign at No 10
POLITICAL differences were put aside when campaigners took their fight to save the Romsey-to-Winchester rail-link bus to 10, Downing Street.
Romsey MP, Sandra Gidley, stood on the PM's doorstep last Thursday with her Conservative rival, Caroline Nokes, as Save Our Bus protesters handed in a petition bearing 2,000 signatures calling on Gordon Brown to step in and prevent South West Trains axing the company's dedicated rail-link at the end of next week.
Commuters, Mark Gilmour, Alan Bayley and John Wills, together with Hursley parish councillor, Eleanor Bell, were at the Downing Street petition hand-over.
Defiant Save Our Bus Campaign co-ordinator, Nadine Taylor, has since asked for a face-to-face meeting with Brian Souter, boss of the Stagecoach Group, which includes SWT.
She said Mr Souter had asked Ian Dobbs, the SWT chairman, and Andrew Dyer, MD of Stagecoach South, to investigate the axing of the service and to report back to him.
"I am encouraged by this and I have asked for a meeting with Mr Souter and the Department for Transport."
The operators said the service was due for the axe because only 60 people used it per week, a figure disputed by campaigners.
Nadine said: "SWT has refused to give us the figures for people using the rail-link bus. There hasn't been a ticket machine on the bus all week. SWT say the service is losing £100,000 a year. People within the bus industry whom we've spoken to say they don't understand how it can be losing money when the Stagecoach X66, taking a parallel, route isn't."
Nadine said the Romsey-Winchester rail-link bus was "just the sort of initiative the Government will pay an environmental-transport consultant thousands to dream up this time next year".
A petition was also handed in at Hampshire County Council's Winchester HQ last week.
The county's Romsey Extra division member, Roy Perry, passed it to leader, Ken Thornber.
Afterwards, Mr Perry said: "The rail-link bus between Winchester and Romsey is especially helpful to people in the rural area around Romsey.
"In the town, they may have the option of taking a train to Southampton but, outside the town, the rail-link to Southampton is no use; it's the bus link along the A3090 that really helps.
"Once you have your car out, it is pointless to drive to Romsey or Southampton Airport Parkway, so you will inevitably clog the roads up and increase your carbon footprint by heading directly to Winchester to take the train there.
"I urge South West Trains to think again on this one. This rail-link bus really works and deserves to be kept going."
8:29am Friday 30th November 2007
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