Protests have taken place along the route of a bus service which is set to be scrapped.
The action came after more than 6,000 people signed a petition to save the 101/102 Stagecoach service between Dumfries and Edinburgh which is to be terminated in August.
On Tuesday night residents in Biggar, West Linton and Abington waited at bus stops to show support for the route.
Local authorities are set to meet today to try and find a solution.
Regional transport group SWestrans recently revealed that the cost of running the service would rise from £272,417 to just over £500,000 – a hike of 87 per cent.
Dumfriesshire constituency MSP Oliver Mundell yesterday called for urgent action to tackle widespread public transport problems.
He said: “Good public transport has never been more important and provides a lifeline for many of my constituents.
“These buses are essential and an urgent financial intervention is required to keep them on the road.”
A report by SWestrans lead officer, Douglas Kirkpatrick, noted the Edinburgh route returned “an unaffordable price to all partners”. That, along with “extremely low” user numbers have been blamed on the service’s contract not being renewed. But passengers complain about the three-hour journey time, condition of the buses used and the lack of toilets on them. In a joint statement, council co-leaders, Stephen Thomson and Linda Dorward, said: “We recognise how important it is for our local communities and for our economy to have this service running to the national capital.
“We want a collective solution between all the partners to be found. We are pleased that SPT has brought all the current funding partners and some new local authorities (Midlothian and the City of Edinburgh) together to discuss this important transport route and what we can do in partnership to address this situation. A further meeting will be taking place on Friday.
“Ahead of that meeting, we will be writing to all the organisations who are attending on to ask them to look at their current funding arrangements and whether new sources of funding can be identified.
“We have a shared responsibility to provide services to local people that they can depend upon.
“ We will work with our partners to try and find a solution so that we may continue to provide the 101/102 service.”
