BUS passengers in the Poulner and Hightown areas face a longer wait for their ride to and from Ringwood town centre if operator Wilts & Dorset presses ahead with plans to reduce the regularity of the round-trip services.

The alternating 136 service via Parsonage Barn Lane and the 137 route along Christchurch Road currently run every 20 minutes, ferrying people into the town's Furlong bus station from early morning until the evening.

But in a bid to cut its losses on the underused services, the bus company is considering plans to slash the service by two-thirds to just one bus per hour, alternating between the two routes.

Passengers have been canvassed about the changes, which are due to come into effect from the end of May.

The bus company is also axing its X33 service, launched last year to provide a fast bus service for Poulner passengers travelling to Bournemouth and Southampton.