10 BUS RAPID TRANSITSUPPLEMENT


The South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit scheme is set to open in April 2012


commissioning high specification buses in the Eclipse livery. Internally buses will feature leather seating, free Wi-Fi and internal display screens providing local travel information, next stops and latest fare offers. A hand-picked team of regular BRT drivers will wear a special uniform and undertake training in customer care. Certainly the reliability of the service will be another key selling point, and Hampshire County Council is investing heavily in advanced real-time information technology. Screens displaying the arrival times of the next four buses will be installed in all 14 new ‘Eclipse’ bus shelters along the busway. This dedication to providing joined-up and


intelligent transport information doesn’t end with bus stops. It is planned to display train and ferry departures information on free-standing, London-style information pillars with video screens at the bus stations at either end of the route, at Fareham railway station and in Gosport town centre. Access to real-time information will also be available on a dedicated website and via QR codes at each bus stop, which will take smartphone users directly to an interactive route map online. Hampshire County Council is very much


aware that this project is about promoting sustainable travel for all modes and is therefore ensuring that the information pillars also display walking maps of the local area. Only buses, cyclists and emergency vehicles will be permitted to use the busway, with cycle parking provided at various points along the route.


Eurotransport Volume 9, Issue 6, 2011


For future phases, Hampshire County


Council and First Group have been developing an operating agreement that can be rolled out to other bus operators in the region, as future phases of BRT extend into new areas. For Phase 1, a management board has been created with representatives from both parties. Among other things, the management board will direct the promotion of the busway and bus services. Keen to offer something extra to tempt local


users, First plans to introduce a Fareham and Gosport area ticket that will enable unlimited travel in the area, so people won’t have to pay more for a season ticket covering the whole of Hampshire if most of their journeys are local. Despite the plans for tantalising incentives to use BRT, the other good news is that there are no plans to increase fares, which will remain in line with current fares on the existing bus routes


Expect more Exciting as it is, BRT Phase 1 is really just the beginning of Hampshire County Council’s plans for a high quality bus network that will use a combination of measures to ensure that buses have priority over other traffic in order to deliver the reliability that people will come to expect. As Hampshire County Council’s Executive


Member for Environment and Transport, and Chairman of Transport for South Hampshire, I am a keen advocate of Hampshire’s BRT strategy. With BRT, we are absolutely committed to delivering a network of high-speed, high-specification bus priority routes that will link key towns and destinations in south east


Hampshire and provide a viable alternative to the private car. We know that, when they are freed from congestion, buses can be a very attractive alternative to the private car, helping to contribute modal shift. Once this flagship scheme is delivered in spring 2012, our focus will be on delivering further phases of a BRT network that will provide better travel choices for the local community, improving people’s quality of life and boosting the area’s economic com - petitiveness. The Government has already recognised the importance of Gosport in terms of economic regeneration by announcing the creation of The Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus Airfield in Gosport. A viable public transport infrastructure for south east Hampshire is vital if we are to achieve the sustained and balanced growth that this region is capable of. A computer generated film showing how


the busway will look when it opens in April 2012 can be viewed online at www.eclipsebus.co.uk.


Councillor Melville Kendal is currently Hampshire County Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport and is also Chairman of Transport for South Hampshire. He was the Leader of New


Forest District Council from 2002 until 2009 and continues to represent Milford on Sea as a District Councillor. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Project Integra. Locally, he is on the board of New Forest Museum in Lyndhurst and the board of the Countryside Education Trust in Beaulieu.


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