Protestors rally as Bluestar cuts bus services to Calshot

Residents living in Calshot have hit out at bus company Bluestar for reducing the number of buses travelling to and from the village.

The lack of transport means people will have to walk along a road with no pavements to reach the nearest bus stop, according to the Better Buses for Waterside campaign group.

But Bluestar said demand for such services during the week is low and does not warrant a regular service.

Josie Taylor, 72, organised a walk from Calshot to Fawley on Wednesday, December 18, where she and other campaigners travelled as a ‘walking bus’.

Better Buses for Waterside campaigners (Image: Better Buses) The group aimed to highlight the dangers of the route to the next bus stop, which is used by vehicles travelling at 60mph.

Josie gave up driving two years ago and is unable to leave her terminally ill husband for more than two hours, meaning she struggles to get to shops because of the long gaps in the bus timetable.

She said: “We are forced to walk in a fast road with no pavement and several blind bends to get to Fawley.

“There are so many lorries on that road and the speed of traffic makes it really scary.

“Car drivers seem to think that just because the limit is 60mph they can take bends at 60mph even though they cannot see pedestrians in the road or vehicles coming the other way.

“I would like to see a minimum of one bus every two hours and we also need a usable footpath to Fawley.”

READ MORE: Single bus fares will not rise to £3 in city centre

Linda Worf, 74, who has lived in Calshot for 38 years, also joined the walk.

She said: “I can still drive but I don’t know for how long I can continue.

“We need a better bus service. You can’t walk along the grass bank beside the road to Fawley because it’s so uneven, so you have to walk in the road itself and it's not safe.”

More than 1,250 people have signed a petition calling on Hampshire County Council and Bluestar to restore Calshot’s services and make other improvements to buses in the Waterside area.

Following the changes made in September, Bluestar said positive outcomes have been reported.

Richard Tyldsley, Bluestar general manager, said: “We can’t currently justify an hourly service in Calshot.

“We have, though, tailored some key journeys to operate at the times when the most people travel.

“It is worth noting that we have seen a 10 per cent additional growth in passenger journeys on Bluestar 9, as a result of the changes we made in September.

“We regularly review demand for our services and will be working closely with our local authority partners to see if further improvements are possible on the waterside.”