Government minister praises 'brilliant' bus route work between Fareham and Gosport

Over the past few years, bus operator First Solent and Hampshire County Council have been working on transforming a disused railway line into a rapid transit bus link between Gosport and Fareham.

Transport minister, Baroness Charlotte Vere, visited the area to look at the progress that has been made.

The first phase of the route extension is nearing completion, with the Rowner Road junction getting a complete revision.

Baroness Vere said: 'It was fantastic to hear about First Solent’s plans to provide priority bus routes between Fareham and Gosport, helping people get to work, education, or meet friends and family - and supporting this government’s ambition of levelling up public transport links across the country.

‘It was also brilliant to meet the First Bus engineering apprentices who are developing the skills for rewarding careers in transport.’

The transport minister was also shown the new tap-on-tap-off card readers installed on the Eclipse buses, before meeting with the three apprentices.

SEE ALSO: Conservative Party donor paid for Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt to perform personal magic show

First Solent managing director Marc Reddy said: ‘It was our pleasure to show the bus minister an example of what can be achieved when local authorities and bus operators work together to improve local transport.

‘The Eclipse busway is a great example of how, by working together, we can deliver a premium bus service that encourages people to get out of their cars and onto the bus.

‘Joint ongoing investment in new infrastructure, an up-to-date fleet and smart technology makes catching the bus so much easier.’

Hampshire County Council's executive lead member for economy, transport and environment, Councillor Rob Humby, has been overseeing the first phase of the project.

He added: 'We were delighted to show Baroness Vere the busway extension and highlight an effective partnership in action.

‘We hope that there will be future extensions to the Eclipse bus network and across south east Hampshire.’

Further afield in Hampshire, additional improvements are being made to other bus routes.

In Andover, a new bus gate will be installed to the tune of £85,000 in East Anton, using ANPR cameras to detect unauthorised vehicles using the bus lane.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for 27p a day.