PEOPLE have expressed their frustration at proposed changes to bus services, which could see routes reduced and extra charges brought in. 

Bus companies such as Stagecoach and Xelabus say they have been hit hard by the pandemic, rising operating costs and a driver shortage, which has led them to re-evaluate the services they provide. 

Routes have been cut or reduced and services have had to be scrapped at the last moment, leaving people stranded.

The future does not look any brighter - as this comes at the same time as Hampshire County Council is set to discuss and re-evaluate the support it gives to bus companies and transport providers in a bid to save money.

SEE ALSO: Here's why Basingstoke Station's clock has been removed

You can read the full story in this week’s edition of the Gazette. 

Also in this week's paper:

  • A councillor is strongly objecting to a plan to install a 5G telecom mast in the Hatch Warren area
  • Proposals that would see warehouses built on countryside near Junction 5 of the M3 motorway have received hundreds of objections
  • A strip of land which is currently owned by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) has been branded as “not pivotal” to the redevelopment of the much-loved Camrose football ground
  • A GP surgery in Basingstoke has been rated as the worst in the borough according to patients
  • A “sad and lonely old man” has been jailed for more than two years for possessing thousands of indecent images of children
  • An historic papermaker has announced it will be ‘winding down’ its business in Hampshire as its bank note printing contract has come to an end
  • A group of car enthusiasts in and around Basingstoke held a car meet on Saturday evening in an effort to show how to organise a car gathering that spreads good vibes and positive energy
  • PLUS: All the latest from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor
  • Two pages of news from our communities
  • An eight-page puzzle special
  • Two pages of business news
  • Three pages of entertainment news
  • Four pages of sports news. And much more

READ MORE: 9 pictures from Everest Community Academy's prom

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