A UNISON campaign has kept vital bus services serving Southampton hospitals running, despite cuts in the council subsidy.
UNISON members handed out more than 1,000 questionnaires to staff at Southampton General and Princess Anne Hospitals to find out how many relied on services threatened by cuts.
More thana third of who answered said they needed evening bus services after finishing shifts at 8pm. Two thirds used evening and weekend services run by First Bus Services, which were threatened by cuts.
The results of the survey were included in a report presented to Labour-led Southampton City Council and copied to the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and he bus companies.
Although some cuts to services will go ahead, which could affect staff, patients and families travelling to and from the hospital, the report did win a number of significant gains.
First Bus has now promised to improve the punctuality and reliability of the service on the number 3 route, and to keep evening services on this route, at a cost of £150,000, despite losing he without subsidy.
First Bus has also created a customer panel, which was another of the recommendations in the UNISON report.
UNISON area organiser James Smith said:
“UNISON set out to defend vital bus services to and from the hospital,” said union area organiser James Smith, “and we feel we have gone some considerable way to achieving that aim with some core routes protected.
UNISON report to Southampton City Council hospital bus service [PDF]
