Waterside Changemakers set to meet with Hampshire County Council leader Cllr Nick Adams-King in last-ditch attempt to reverse cuts to disabled and elderly bus passes

NEW Forest campaigners are set to hand-deliver letters to councillors in a last-ditch attempt to prevent controversial new restrictions on bus passes for the disabled and elderly.

As reported in the A&T, Hampshire County Council’s proposals, set to come into effect on 1st April, include removing free travel for disabled bus pass holders before 9.30am and after 11pm on weekdays, and charging companions of disabled pass holders, which currently go free.

The cash-strapped council also plans to remove the infrequent bus service exemption, which allows older pass holders to travel before 9.30am in areas with limited bus services, resulting in total savings of around £75,000.

This comes amid HCC allocating more than £13m for improvements to bus services and infrastructure in 2025/26.

Last month Waterside Changemakers launched a petition to highlight how the changes will isolate disabled and older people, saying it will also undermine their independence and wellbeing. So far more than 1,700 have signed.

Today (Wednesday) the group will take letters outlining the impact the changes will have and meet with the council’s cabinet members and leader, Cllr Nick Adams-King, in Winchester.

The organisation says the cuts – estimated to impact over 17,000 disabled residents in addition to the elderly – will damage the independence and well-being of thousands of people who cannot drive and rely on buses to get to work, shops and medical appointments.

Patricia Clements (58), who lost her sight in 2022, said the withdrawal of the pass before 9.30am will make it harder for her to visit the eye hospital and to go swimming.

The former staff nurse from Marchwood uses her pass at 6.30am to visit a pool in Southampton. She says swimming is vital to keep her fit and by going early she can avoid streets when they are busy and use an empty lane at the pool.

Patricia also needs to travel early in the morning because she suffers from photophobia, which means strong sunlight causes her severe pain.

She said Hampshire County Council had failed to inform her and other disabled people about its plans to withdraw their ability to use their bus passes before 9.30am and added she would also be impacted by the council’s decision to withdraw companion passes, which give free travel to a person helping a disabled pass holder.

She added: “People who help us are volunteering their time and it seems wrong to make them pay to do so. I try to be as independent as possible but I need a companion when making unfamiliar journeys and removing this concession will make things harder for me.

“My sight loss means I cannot drive so I am very dependent on buses and there is only a limited service anyway in Marchwood.

“These cuts are a false economy because people who currently travel by bus will become more dependent on social care packages to remain mobile.”

Paul Fields (32), from Hythe, uses his bus pass to get to Totton where he volunteers for FareShare, a charity which distributes food to vulnerable people. His autism and other disabilities mean he cannot handle money and fears he will have to give up his charity work when his bus pass is curtailed.

Also impacted is Claire Hodge (47), from Hythe, who uses her pass to take her son to his primary school and also to get to early morning GP or hospital appointments.

She said: “The school run on the bus is the only task I can do and the only time I get to spend time with my son outdoors.

“Come 1st April, I will be expected to pay £4.30 for my son to travel to school and £4.30 for myself – £172 every four weeks – which is nearly half of my personal independence payment.

“Our disabilities don’t start at 9.30am, they are 24/7 and lifelong. I wouldn’t mind a discounted journey up to 9.30am, similar to the £1 after 6pm [scheme], as I appreciate money needs to be saved.”

A spokesperson for Waterside Changemakers said: “Hampshire residents face a postcode lottery when it comes to the disabled bus pass. Portsmouth City Council recently decided to extend benefits which allow disabled pass holders to use their passes at any time of day, as well as giving those who need it a companion pass. But Hampshire County Council has decided to cut these benefits.

“What we really need is for the government to expand the statutory minimum period for the disabled bus pass so it can be used 24/7 and also require companion passes to be provided to those who need them. The government also needs to provide the funds to councils to pay for this. Disabled bus pass holders in the whole of Scotland, Wales and Greater London can already use their passes at all times of day.”

HCC confirmed it is allocating over £13m for improvements to bus services and associated infrastructure in 2025/26.

The funding, provided by the Department for Transport, supports priority schemes and initiatives that make bus journeys on main routes faster, more frequent, reliable and greener, so that more people will want to travel by bus more often.

It will also go towards improving safety and security measures in bus shelters, such as lighting improvements and CCTV, real time and on bus passenger information, and money for rural bus shelters, for town/parish councils to use.

Commenting on the funding, HCC leader Cllr Nick Adams-King said: “Our ambition is to have a high quality, efficient and dependable network of bus services across the county. But with Hampshire's finances under significant strain, government funding, money from developers and investment by bus operators is absolutely crucial to our ability to link communities and improve connections to essential services.

“Our investment plans for the coming year, based on strict criteria set out by government, contain a range of proposed measures that all contribute towards our priorities for bus travel: improvements to the frequency of bus services, the waiting environment, passenger information and safety, security, as well as seeking to meet the travel needs of rural areas. These were agreed in the Hampshire Bus Service Improvement Plan.”

He added: “It’s important to also note, with finite funds at our disposal, we cannot subsidise services that have no prospect of being commercially viable. The authority is therefore committed to ensuring that the funding is focused on routes which offer strong potential for growth rather than on services which, once the one-off funding has been spent, may require ongoing funding to sustain themselves – regrettably this is money that we simply do not have.”