Liberal Democrats on Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have warned that residents could lose over £1million of support for bus passes and travel tokens.
Hampshire County Council is giving residents until September 13 to reply to a public consultation on free bus passes for people over 60 and disabled people.
In April 1 next year, the County Council will take over the responsibility of travel tokens from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Lib-Dems say travel token funding will be slashed in the move. Currently £2.3million is set aside, when the County Council take over this will be cut to £1.2million, it is claimed.
Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Gavin James, said: “The County Council would prefer to provide the legal minimum bus pass for the whole of Hampshire. This would mean the end of travel tokens in Basingstoke and Deane.
“The effect will be considerable – Taxi’s and voluntary transport groups like Dial-a-Ride rely substantially on the income from travel tokens, as no doubt do quite a few bus routes. If travel tokens are simply withdrawn with then these services will be under threat.”
Hampshire County Council Executive Member for Environment, Councillor Mel Kendal, said currently there are no firm proposals and the public consultation aims to influence what the cabinet decides in October.
She said: “The basic national free bus pass scheme will certainly continue, there has never been any question about that.
“Be assured that the basic scheme as required by Government will be implemented as a minimum by Hampshire County Council for the whole of Hampshire. The difficulty is trying to meet the varying extra benefits that many district councils have agreed separately when we have to produce a unified county wide scheme by law.”
There are 193,000 people in Hampshire with concessionary bus passes. The basic scheme currently allows free local bus travel for people over 60 and disabled people between 9:30am and 11pm during the week and at any time during the weekend.
Cllr Kendal added: “There is no avoiding the fact that there are difficult choices to be made but we are determined to establish an affordable scheme which is both consistent and fair to all Hampshire’s older and disabled residents.”
To download a consultation form, visit www.consultations.hants.gov.uk or request one by calling 01962 845077.
