Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has written a strongly worded letter to senior management at First Buses over the changes that have been made to the bus timetable in Gosport. In the letter Caroline says "I believe the population of Gosport have good reason to complain because the town is heavily reliant on bus travel and some areas have had their timetables dramatically reduced or cancelled completely."
The No. 9 route seems to be a particular problem with a large group of elderly Constituents living at the top end of Jellicoe Avenue. The bus service they have been used to has been reduced to an hourly service which goes via Haslar to the bus station. They then have to catch another bus to the various destinations they want to get to such as the High Street, the supermarkets, Stoke Road and the War Memorial Hospital. Previously the bus would travel past the Hospital along Stoke Road to the High Street which was much more convenient.
Caroline said: "I have been contacted by a number of Constituents who are seriously affected by the new timetable. I recognise that First Buses do need to review and revise their timetable and I know that this has not been undertaken for a number of years. However, Gosport is heavily reliant on buses (being the second largest town in the United Kingdom without a train station)."
Caroline is hopeful that First Buses will seriously consider the effect the new timetable is having on Constituents and make the necessary changes particularly to accommodate the elderly and those that don't have any access to any other forms of transport.
