We're so disappointed as Hampshire Council's cruel disabled bus pass cuts will cause hardship and isolation

Waterside Changemakers started a petition to urge Hampshire County Council to halt cuts to bus passes for disabled and older people in Hampshire. This will not affect other schemes in Portsmouth or Southampton as they are managed by the city councils. This means that while those living in Portsmouth will still be able to travel before 9.30am under the scheme, those living outside the city in neighbouring towns will not.

In their pledge, campaigners strongly insisted that the removal of the free travel for disabled people before 9.30am and after 11pm on weekdays and removing their companion pass would isolate disabled and older people, undermining their independence and wellbeing.

In a last-ditch effort to convince the council not to proceed with the plans, which were set to start on April 1, 2025, they handed letters from residents impacted by the cuts.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council whether the plans would be reconsidered due to the impact on residents.

In a statement, the county council said that due to their “unprecedented” financial position, council resources will need to be focused on providing mandatory services, leading to “difficult decisions”.

A spokesperson added that the discretionary ‘top-up’ enhancements to older persons and disabled bus passes that the county council previously funded will end.

The news surprised Waterside Changemakers, and the group said it was “extremely disappointed” to learn about the decision from the media.

Maria Cooper, a member of Waterside Changemakers, who started the petition against the bus pass cuts and who has a disabled son affected by them, said: “These cruel cuts will cause hardship and isolation to thousands of disabled people.

“From April 1, 18,000 disabled pass holders in Hampshire will be banned from using their passes before 9.30am and after 11pm. Also, 5,000 of the most vulnerable disabled people, who cannot travel alone on buses, will be stripped of their companion passes which allow a volunteer to travel with them.

“These cuts will save the council only £73,000 but hurt people whose mobility is already restricted by their disability.”

Mrs Cooper said that the group is also disappointed since they have not yet received a formal response from the council in regards to their petition, which was submitted six weeks ago, “despite the council promising to send one”.

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“It seems disrespectful to disabled people that the council did not even bother to inform us before apparently telling the media that our petition had been rejected.

“The council failed to consult disabled people properly about these planned cuts, and this pattern of poor communication has continued throughout our engagement with the council’s cabinet.”

In a public response, the council said that while council leader Nick Adams-King promised to look at the petition again “carefully”, cabinet member for universal services, Cllr Kirsty North said “he did”.

“However, we point out that many other councils removed these enhancements some time ago. We are continuing to look at how we can holistically improve public transport, however we are restrained by unprecedented financial challenges facing the county council and the funding sources available,” she added.