THE results from a county-wide survey into possible changes to bus services in Wiltshire are in, with more than 11,000 people taking part in the discussion.

Wiltshire Council began the consultation into bus services at the beginning of this year, looking to identify areas where savings could be made in their transport budget.

Half of the bus mileage in the county is subsidised, costing the council around £5.1m every year.

It is these heavily subsidised routes that serve rural areas like Malmesbury and surrounding parishes that have been highlighted as a possible area where money could be saved.

Fears were raised by local councillors and residents in the area that possible changes to rural bus routes could result in elderly people being stranded without transport or access to shops.

The consultation found that these regular rural services were deemed as the most important service to keep, with 63.9 per cent of people rating them as ‘very important’ and 27.8 per cent of people rating them as ‘important’.

When asked whether heavily subsidised rural services should be an area the council should look into making savings in, 62.5 per cent of people said no.

The consultation went on to ask how many people would be directly affected if these routes were reduced. A total of 61.3 per cent of people said it wouldn’t affect them or they could make alternative arrangements, while 38.7 per cent said it would have a big impact on their lives.

Strategic network links between big towns, infrequent rural services and within-town services were also rated as important to residents, while Sunday, bank holiday and evening services were rated as less vital.

Notably more than 50 per cent of those taking part in the consultation were over the age of 65, with only two per cent (216 people in total) being under the age of 18. This is despite there being great concern about how the bus service changes could affect students travelling to school or college.

Malmesbury Town Council member Gavin Grant spoke out about his concerns that rural bus links could end up cut when the consultation started.

He believes that young people need to have their voices heard in the debate.

“Getting young people to participate in local government surveys is a challenge, so I am not surprised that a lot of young people were probably unaware the survey was taking place,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean young people’s voices should be ignored here.

“It is perfectly clear that buses are disproportionately used by the young, old and those who have no access to a car. They are the ones to be impacted by any changes.

“It is not too late for the council to reach out to more young people to get their views.”

A spokesperson for Wiltshire Council said that the council had advertised the consultation “as far and wide as possible”.

They went on to say: “We used area boards, community engagement managers and social media to make people aware of it.

“We have done as much as we can to get as wide of a cross-section of the community as possible.”

Speaking about the consultation Philip Whitehead, cabinet member for transport, said: “There is a great deal of information to get through, and I am grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation.

“We are using the responses to help shape how our bus services run in the future, to create sustainable public transport for Wiltshire for years to come.”

The council will now review the consultation's results before making a decision on what changes, if any, are made to bus services in the county. There is no set date for a decision but it anticipated it will be towards the end of the year.