It's thumbs up for new minibus fleet

More passengers can travel in comfort around Bognor Regis on a fleet of new minibuses. The seven easy access vehicles entered service on Monday.

They can be used by travellers with pushchairs, shopping trolleys, those in wheelchairs and with mobility problems.

The buses have been named by bus operator Stagecoach as the Bognor Stars. Two routes have been renumbered to reflect this.

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Star One is the former 63 which connects North Bersted with Elmer through the town centre.

Star 2 replaces the 61 circular service from the town centre to West Meads and Rose Green. The new buses have cost Stagecoach just over 500,000.

One of the first passengers to use them, Margaret Baker (75), of Hampshire Avenue, said it had been money well spent. The daily bus user said: 'The new buses will make a big difference to me. It is much better having easier access for my shopping trolley.'

The arrival of the minibuses is the biggest improvement to Bognor's bus network for years.

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They have a capacity of 28 seats and 16 standing passengers. The number of seats drops to 25 if a wheelchair is on board.

The previous buses had 25 seats and room for eight standing passengers.

Stagecoach South's operations director Edward Hodgson said the company was committed to making bus travel as pleasant as possible. 'The travelling environment on the new buses is so much more light and pleasant and airy than on the old ones,' he stated.

The ten-minute Monday to Saturday daytime frequency of the Star One/63 remains unchanged along with the hourly running of the Star Two/61. The routes carry more than 500,000 passengers a year. Most are on the Star One journeys. The next route around Bognor which will benefit from easy access buses will be the 60 from the town centre, Aldwick and Pagham to Midhurst. But Mr Hodgson declined to give a date for the new buses to arrive.

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