Bus access talks held with Bournemouth MP

Residents with additional needs and disability group representatives met Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes, BCP Council and Morebus to discuss improving access to local bus services.

The meeting brought together residents, councillors and transport operators to focus on how bus travel can better meet the needs of disabled people across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with attendees encouraged to share their experiences directly.

Disabled people are entitled to a free bus pass, with sixty nine thousand passes issued locally, and one of the main concerns raised was the weekday restriction which limits use before half past nine in the morning.

Nick Philips from BCP Council said the authority is proposing a trial that would allow earlier weekday travel for disabled passholders for a small charge, with the first year used to gather data on how many people would use the option.

The council has recently received nearly eight million pounds in government funding spread across three years to support improvements to local transport, including measures aimed at making services more reliable and accessible.

Attendees were also told about planned bus priority improvements funded through the Bus Service Improvement Plan, designed to improve journey times and reliability between Bournemouth Station and Bournemouth Square, with work expected to begin next year.

MP Tom Hayes said the event was held to ensure disabled people “are able to get the bus travel that they’re entitled to,” adding that it gave residents a clear chance to explain what needs to change.

Richard Wade, General Manager at Morebus, said the discussion helped the operator understand what further improvements could be made alongside changes introduced over recent years.

Councillor Andy Hadley said the council is exploring how policy changes could help people with additional needs access public transport, describing reliable and accessible buses as essential for connecting communities.