The infrequent and unreliable bus service is having a damaging impact on people of all ages on the Waterside.
Waterside Changemakers, a grassroots group trying to make life easier in the cost of living crisis, recently surveyed 272 people about the bus service. We heard shocking stories of how the poor bus service is affecting people’s ability to get to work, school, college, and appointments at hospitals and GP surgeries. Waterside residents are even having to turn down job opportunities because they cannot rely on the buses.
Nearly two thirds of people say buses are not frequent enough: 44.5% of respondents say availability of buses is ‘Poor’ on the Waterside, with a further 19.5% rating it as ‘Very Poor’. A majority of respondents are also unhappy with the reliability of buses: 36.4% say reliability is ‘Poor’ and 16.5% say it is ‘Very Poor’. The Lymington Times reported
here on our survey.
Worryingly, 37.4% of people we surveyed have no access to a car and are reliant on public transport. Without better buses, there is a real risk that smaller towns and villages like Marchwood, Holbury, Blackfield, Langley, Fawley and Calshot are simply going to be left behind.
Buses can be a lifeline, connecting communities, providing better opportunities for work and study, easing loneliness, and improving lives throughout the Waterside.
