A bus service taking people to a Tibetan monastery in Dumfriesshire costs nearly £45 per passenger to run.
A report for today’s meeting of the SWestrans board reveals how many passengers use each of the services the transport partnership issues contracts for and the average cost per passenger.
And it shows that 1,768 people a year use the 124 service between Langholm and the Samye Ling Tibetan Centre at Eskdalemuir – an average cost of £43.21 per passenger for the 15 mile journey.
Using that measure it’s the most expensive route operated, with the 502 Dumfries to Castle Douglas service next up at £33.46 per passenger.
Other expensive routes include Lockerbie to Hightae – which costs £15.68 – and Moniaive to Thornhill, which is £16.51.
SWestrans is about to tender for new contracts to come into effect later this year – and while they are hoping to continue with existing services, financial pressures mean a number of alternatives are also being looked at.
One proposal is to merge the existing contracts for the two 382 services – both of which go from Lockerbie to Gretna and then on to either Carlisle or Annan.
It is suggested journeys could terminate at Gretna as there are other routes available to Carlisle and Annan.
Another option is to merge the Langholm to Samye Ling route with the 120 Langholm town service.
Members of the SWestrans board will be asked to agree the tender process today.
Earlier this year, they agreed that 55 of the 57 existing bus contracts would be terminated in August so that new deals could be agreed.
A bid to extend existing deals until March 2024 while SWestrans officials worked on a new public transport model fell through as soaring costs saw the majority of bus companies unwilling to back to the move.
The contract for the 502 Castle Douglas to Dumfries route had been due to end in the spring but an extra £160,000 has been secured from the council to ensure it can end in August like the other 55 contracts, while a new long-term deal for the Dumfries to Edinburgh route comes into effect this weekend.
A report by lead SWestrans officer Douglas Kirkpatrick warns that “we can anticipate a level of inflation across all current supported services when they are retendered as operators react to ongoing operating cost volatility (fuel, maintenance, wages), continuing low passenger numbers, reduction in national recovery funding and the shortage of qualified drivers”.
Members are asked to agree that the procurement process “will seek prices for all existing services on a like for like basis”, but prices will also be sought for 18 alternative options which would reduce the number of vehicles needed, merge some existing contracts “or provide a lesser level of provision”.
