BUS services around Test Valley will be scrapped leaving some residents without easy access to public transport. 

Hampshire County Council has made the decision to cut five routes around Andover amid "extreme financial pressure".

Five Cango bus services, C3, C4, C5, C6 and C8, currently offer flexible not fixed routes, allowing passengers to book a journey at either 'timed' or 'bookable' stopping points. 

READ MORE: Changes to Bourne Valley bus services delayed

Any resident within the operating area could use Cango, and passengers could also arrange to have it called at personal points, such as the pub, garage or shops.

Stagecoach which runs the services has now announced that on Saturday, September 2, the services will cease operation. 

A spokesperson for the bus company confirmed to the Advertiser that it has been given notice by Hampshire County Council to end the services. 

A council spokesperson said: “Changes to the Andover Villages service, formerly known as Cango, were planned as part of savings required by the county council to balance its budget in the face of extreme financial pressures. The county council will now be replacing this service with something that is more demand-responsive, using taxis. This is a successful and cost-effective model that we have used many times elsewhere around the county.

“Stagecoach will cease operating the bus service at the beginning of September."

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The news comes just four months after the county council agreed to extend the bus services. In April the authority said "it is still finalising the details of the new service", however, it has now admitted that no provision has been put in place to replace the routes.

The changes impact the likes of Longparish, Barton Stacey, Hurstbourne Tarrant and Penton Mewsey, leaving the villages with a greatly reduced or potentially no public transport service. 

The council spokesperson added: "The county council is continuing to work on establishing a replacement service but unfortunately, given the challenges facing the taxi and private hire market, it has proved more difficult than usual to secure this.

"This means that there will be a gap in service provision until this is resolved. We will keep local residents informed of our progress and when there is a new service ready to start, we will ensure that signs go up around the community to inform those who will be keen to use it.”

Despite concerns from a number of residents, some were not surprised by the announcement. 

Rod Davies, who has lived in Andover for more than 77 years and is a former transport worker, said he uses the service to get to and from Andover hospital but told the Advertiser that quite often the bus is very empty.

He said: "When I used to work in the buses they were absolutely hampered 12 years ago.

"I think it all changed when the pandemic hit because it [the bus service] stopped and started again and I don't think that people like change."

In 2015, the council announced that passengers no longer needed to book their journey on Cango, instead, they were advised to turn up at the designated time and go. 

At the time Cango operated set routes and most of the routes were 'hail and ride' so passengers did not have to walk to a bus stop.