COUNCILLORS on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s decision-making Cabinet will discuss plans to extend a number of bus pilot schemes across the town next week.

As previously reported by The Gazette, councillors on the community, environment and partnerships committee considered the outcomes of Commissioning Outcome Group three which looked at what the council “could be doing itself, and with its partners, better to enable residents to access public transport”.

Councillors supported options to continue a number of pilots for evening bus services and the 3B route in South Ham for another six months and the 654 service which runs between Old Basing and The Costello School for the 2015/16 academic year.

However, they agreed that the Winklebury Shuttle pilot should not continue as it was only used by one passenger a day on average – a total of an £80 subsidy.

Currently, the borough council spends £717,000 per year on subsidies for buses across Basingstoke and Deane, and Hampshire County Council provides £575,000 a year for certain routes.

The transport COG, which took place between May last year and January, identified six key areas where transport could be improved in Basingstoke including improved promotion of public transport in the borough through a website similar to the one used for Transport for London, improved cycle structure and facilities and an improved local transport service and infrastructure.

Other options created by the group included real-time information at bus stops, an annual transport conference bringing together transport providers and users and an idea for the borough council to take budgetary control of subsided public transport across Basingstoke and Deane.

Members of the borough council’s Cabinet are set to rubberstamp the continuation of the pilot schemes at a meeting on Tuesday evening.

Cabinet member for partnerships, Councillor Cathy Osselton, said: “Working with providers and the people that use the services locally we have been able to really determine what they need and how we can fill the gaps in what is currently available.

“By continuing to provide the successful pilot services across the borough and looking to take control of the budget we can work to ensure that the services our residents need they get.”