A NEW partnership has been launched with the aim of improving bus services in Wiltshire and Hampshire.

Wiltshire County Council, Hampshire County Council, Tid-worth, Netheravon and Bulford garrisons, the Wilts and Dorset Bus Company and Stagecoach signed a Quality Bus Partnership Agreement on Tuesday at Tidworth Leisure Centre.

The partnership agreement covers routes 7, 8 and 9, Salisbury-Amesbury-Tidworth-Andover. It sets out the overall objectives including encouraging more people to use buses instead of cars, encouraging more investment in the route by all the partners, and supporting economic activity through sustainable transport.

Other objectives incl-ude investigating how new technology could be used to improve services, improving access to transport for people without the use of a car, improving the quality of life along the route, and recognising the requirements of military personnel and their families.

The agreement also lists a number of partnership schemes with target dates, including the building of new bus shelters, improvements to bus stops, and better timetable and ticket information.

For the full story see friday's Andover Advertiser.