Whitchurch students forced to travel on 'overcrowded buses

Parents whose children travel to Peter Symonds College in Winchester via the 86 bus have raised concerns about the reliability, safety and cost of the service.

The service was reduced heavily in August 2024 after Stagecoach announced that it would be cutting the number of journeys carried out from 12 to just four.

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Children on an overcrowded bus to Peter Symonds (Image: Contributed)

Residents started a petition at the time, which garnered more than 1000 signatures. However, the changes stuck, affecting both college students and others in the town.

The reduction in the number of journeys means that buses are often overcrowded with no space for students to sit, according to a group of more than 70 parents with children at Peter Symonds. 

The parents' group said that students are 'forced to stand on overcrowded buses, sometimes travelling at high speeds along the A34 without seats'.

The reliability of the buses has also been criticised with one parent saying her son had been 'left standing at the bus stop too many times'.

She added that she elected not to buy an annual pass for her son, offered by Stagecoach, as it works out cheaper to pay the daily tariff when the bus did not arrive and he 'had to get emergency lifts'.

Ward councillor Chloe Ashfield said that as a parent of a student at Peter Symonds she has 'seen first hand how this unreliable bus service is failing our young people'.

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She added: "Without urgent improvements, Peter Symonds will become an unviable option for local students, limiting their education choices."

Ward councillor Colin Phillimore added that Stagecoach is 'not fulfilling their obligations'.

The group of 71 parents is now calling for Stagecoach to take action to address the issues, requesting them to improve reliability by reducing delays and breakdowns.

They also want enhanced communication from the company as well as a review of pricing and commitments to take steps to 'address overcrowding and safety'.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach said: "We appreciate the feedback from our customers and acknowledge comments regarding the change to Service 86 last September.

"Service 86 operates without any direct subsidy, and unfortunately, the gap between ticket sales and the costs of operating the service had grown to become a significant loss. 

"We had to take the difficult decision to give notice to the College and our customers that without subsidy to support the additional journeys, a reduced number of trips would operate on service 86 as it was no longer possible to maintain the existing level of service indefinitely. 

"Whilst we regret any inconvenience, the change was essential to maintaining a viable service on this route. 

"Once all seats are occupied, an amount of standing space is available on the bus, should it be required, to minimise the chance of a customer not being able to board. 

"We continue to make regular enhancements to our mobile app, which allows customers to track the live progress of their bus, and receive any service updates."