Withdrawal of 61 Bus Service

The Parish Council is very disappointed to learn that, despite its best efforts, and those of our District and County Councillors,   hopes of retaining the 61 bus route between Winchester and Eastleigh have been dashed at the last minute.

Following the withdrawal of funding from Hampshire County Council, the 61 service will cease on 30 August 2025, despite this particular route being listed as one of the highest projected usage numbers for forthcoming years.  The result is that it will no longer be possible for residents of Twyford to travel by bus directly to Eastleigh or Winchester (Royal County Hampshire) Hospital.  Also affected are residents of Colden Common, Allbrook and Boyatt Wood.   The only daily bus servicing Twyford from September will be the 69, which travels between Fareham and Winchester.

Earlier in the Summer, Stagecoach South brought forward a new proposal for a reduced 61 bus service to Eastleigh, making use of a bus outside of School travel times.  For this service to be viable, funding was requested from local Parish Councils.

The Colden Parish Council led discussions on shared funding with Twyford, Allbrook, and Boyatt Wood, and was hopeful that a workable solution could be found.  Winchester City Council offered financial support, although funding from Eastleigh Borough Council was not forthcoming. An intense period of discussions took place and Twyford committed it’s support on 24th July. But, sadly, last Monday,   Stagecoach informed us that it would not be willing to proceed with any proposals to retain the 61 bus route.

The Parish Council is writing to Stagecoach to explore why they have changed their mind and hopes that further discussions may still be possible.

At a time when the use of public transport is being promoted over private car use, it is hard to understand why, when a viable scheme is being proposed, support is not forthcoming.

The current situation is that, despite the efforts of the Parish Council,  residents of Twyford will be unable to travel directly to Eastleigh by bus or to Winchester Hospital.

The Parish Council has spent a considerable amount of time and effort trying to retain the 61 route and is aware of how vital the service is for all our residents, from those accessing employment, further education, shopping, and leisure activities.