Local MP Jeremy Hunt joined drivers, passengers and supporters of the Hoppa Bus in Godalming on Friday as they celebrated ten years of the much used service. The Hoppa bus takes members from local villages to locations all over Waverley. There is also a separate hospital Hoppa which takes patients to the Royal Surrey. It provides an invaluable service to the elderly, disabled, those on low income and those who are isolated who would otherwise be faced with huge taxi fares. Having started out with just 6 vehicles and a handful of drivers the service now has 20 buses and covers the towns and surrounding villages of Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere. Jeremy said “This is a year of tenth anniversaries as it is ten years since I became the candidate for South West Surrey in 2002. Over the years I have watched the Hoppa service go from strength to strength. Starting off with just 6 vehicles and a handful of drivers – ten years on there are 41,000 passenger trips a year, 2000 regular users and over 2.5 million miles travelled. It is testament to the dedication of the staff and supporters that the Hoppa bus continues to flourish. Happy Birthday Hoppa, here’s to the next ten…!
