THE Daily Echo's campaign to save free bus passes for Hampshire pensioners has been given a major lift.

Bus drivers are the ones in the front line who see for themselves on a daily basis how vital the passes are, and the positive effects they have had.

One driver is so incensed about the possible damage to pensioners if free travel is cut that she contacted us to share her experiences and back our campaign.

She has seen a marked increase in the number of old people using the buses, and says it is clearly having a positive effect on their quality of life.

"They've all got smiling faces," said the lady, who wants to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

"Often when they get on the bus they meet friends and make friends - you can see them really coming out of themselves."

The bus driver, who works in and around Eastleigh, said many colleagues have told her of similar experiences.

"It is probably not the majority, but there are genuine ones who all feel the same," she said.

"They all say how nice it is that the pensioners can get out and about and you can see the change in them.

"I feel quite strongly about it - I do not think they should lose it.

"I feel it would take away a lifeline for many of the elderly and put them back in isolation." The woman added that the passes have also benefited the environment and other motorists.

"There are people using the bus who have never used the bus, so that means they are leaving their cars behind," she said.

"It's putting cars off the road, which is what we're told is the thing to do."

Although there has been a large rise in the number of people using buses, the driver said she does not believe the additional costs incurred by operators is very large and cannot see the point in their challenge.

"Maybe the companies are out of pocket, but I can't honestly see where the extra cost they say they've got is coming from.

"Obviously there are extra petrol costs for a full bus but it's not much," she said.

"Having read what Solent Blue Line said about it, it's completely true. The government will be paying for the scheme in two years so it's not worth bothering."