A NEW bus service has been launched linking the major business areas in a Hampshire town to two of the county’s train stations.

The X5 service will run between Southampton Airport Parkway, Chandler’s Ford business parks and Chandler’s Ford station.

It will be operated by Hampshire bus firm Xelabus, and has been set up with the My Journey project and Eastleigh Borough Council to help those without cars on their commute to work.

The buses will run every 15 minutes during rush hour, and every half an hour in off-peak times from Monday to Friday.

Most journeys on the route will have a flat fare of £1 each way, while businesses taking part in the Chandler’s Ford Commuter Forum project will qualify for free travel.

The bus will run between Airport Parkway station and Chandler's Ford business parks and then on to Chandler’s Ford station and will run up to every 15 minutes at rush hour and every 30 minutes off-peak, Monday to Friday.

Eastleigh Borough Council transport boss Cllr David Airey said “This is a fantastic new service that has been launched in response to requests from major employers in Chandler’s Ford.

“The new route should help reduce parking and traffic issues in and around Chandler’s Ford by providing a link to rail stations for onward travel, as an alternative to staff driving.”

“The new service represents a major investment by the Council, Xelabus, Hampshire County Council, Local Sustainable Transport Fund and My Journey."