WINCHESTER civic chiefs are looking to boost the use of a late-night bus service to the suburbs.

The town forum last night voted to try to improve passenger numbers on the services that run between 10pm and midnight from the city centre to Badger Farm, Stanmore, Weeke and Harestock on Thursdays to Saturdays.

The service was launched in 2012 and has been slowly picking up custom. In 2013 it carried 5,560 people and 6,213 in 2014 but is still not commercially viable.

Cllr Robert Sanders said the service would never by viable and the forum should review its support of £13,390 in the budget for 2014-15.

But Cllr Janet Berry said there needed to be better advertising.

Town forum chairman Robert Hutchison said he had asked the university, parish councils, street pastors and Stagecoach to spread the word.

The forum agreed a proposal by Cllr Dominic Hiscock that the council talk to local parish councils to find ways of plugging the gap in mid-evening buses, from 7-9pm, caused by the withdrawl of county council subsidy.