Barbara's bus campaigns - success

Persistence pays off. Andover Town Councillor Barbara Carpenter has been campaigning for Andover bus services for many years. One particular battle has been over a Sunday service to Basingstoke. This saga first started back in 2009.

After five years, Barbara saw some initial success in 2014 when Stagecoach ran three Sunday buses for three weeks as a goodwill gesture. Unfortunately, this then reverted to a single one-way trip to Basingstoke involving a changeover at Overton. Roll on two more years to this July, and Stagecoach are now running four return buses every Sunday to Basingstoke.

This is an important win for Andover residents as it not only allows us to visit Basingstoke on Sundays, but will also help increase the footfall in Andover which is regarded as a friendly shopping centre especially for the disabled. It also provides a much needed link for Whitchurch and Overton.

Barbara represents Andover Town Council on the transport committee which includes representatives from the bus companies and TVBC. Her next project is better bus routes linking supermarkets to housing estates, especially for the vulnerable and elderly.