A DATE has been set for the end of Basingstoke's shuttle bus.

Councillors voted to axe the centre shuttle, which runs between the Leisure Park, town centre and Basing View, at a meeting last month as part of cuts to council services brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council say that 60 per cent of residents supported the removal of the service in a consultation, but many of The Gazette's readers hit out at the authority over the plan.

It's now been revealed that the centre shuttle will cease operating on Saturday, April 3.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Natural Environment Cllr Mark Ruffell said: “The Centre Shuttle bus service was designed to reduce the amount of vehicles travelling into the town centre however ongoing analysis of passenger numbers demonstrates it is not achieving this and service is not providing the benefits it was intended to.

"In declaring a Climate Emergency we committed to work towards being a carbon neutral borough by 2030, this will not be achieved by simply doing as we have always done.

"Instead we now have to look forward and work innovatively with partners to integrate a park and ride and mass rapid transport system that will help to reduce carbon emissions and serve a greater number of locations.”

The authority are planning on a mass rapid transport system from land in the area of Junction 7 of the M3, which would aim to serve the route that the centre shuttle does now.

The shuttle bus service has been running for more than twenty years.

According to the council’s website, the Centre Shuttle is intended to appeal to:

  • Local workers travelling from Basingstoke Station to Basing View
  • Commuters who are having difficulty parking at Basing View or in the town centre
  • Leisure Park users or Milestones Museum visitors travelling from the Railway Station or town centre
  • Shoppers who may wish to park more cheaply at the Leisure Park and travel into the town centre
  • Those wishing to visit attractions at both the town centre and the Leisure Park on the same day.

At a meeting last month, Cllr Gary Watts (Labour, South Ham) said the shuttle bus was a "proud achievement" of a previous administration and is "still an affective service" which is "essential" and only being cut "in light of Covid, which is totally wrong".

Cllr Colin Regan (Labour, South Ham) also agreed with the amendment to save it, saying that losing the shuttle bus "is not in the interest of any of the Basingstoke residents".