Havant community travel contract awarded

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Hampshire County Council will be awarding a new two-year contract to ensure the continued operation of the Havant Call and Go service, a community transport service for people who either cannot use local buses or find them difficult to use.

The daily service level will remain the same but will be delivered over five days a week instead of six. The service will now run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. A recent study of passenger use of the Havant Call and Go service has shown it is used least on Thursdays.

The County Council is currently in the process of contacting existing users of the service to make people aware of these changes and will also be conducting an active marketing and promotion campaign during the early stages of the new contract in order to ensure that potential users of this service in Havant and East Hampshire are fully aware of the service.

Against a backdrop of reduced Government subsidies for bus journeys Hampshire County Council has demonstrated its continued commitment to community transport by increasing its overall share of funding in Havant Call and Go which is jointly funded with Havant Borough Council and East Hampshire District Council, the other partners in the scheme, although this has resulted in an overall slight cost reduction for the County Council.

Havant Call and Go operates a door-to-door transport service across the whole of Havant Borough and also covers Clanfield and Horndean in East Hampshire. Users can book a journey up to six working days in advance and most trips are provided using a minibus which has been specially adapted to cater for the travel needs of older and disabled people.

Councillor Mel Kendal, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Hampshire County Council said: "We are still facing enormous pressures on our budget and it is important we ensure that our resources are carefully managed to maintain essential services such as community travel. We want to keep Hampshire moving, as well as supporting our communities to promote well-being and economic prosperity. Investment in community transport is important and we are satisfied that Havant and East Hampshire residents will continue to receive a good level of service which meets their needs, particularly those who find accessing a conventional bus service difficult."

For more information and to register as a user please call 0845 602 4135 - calls charged at local rate.

• Proposed Award of Contract - Havant Call & Go

« News Calendar