Stagecoach has been warned that its new timetable proposal involving the removal of early morning services in Perth and Kinross could force some workers to “quit their jobs or buy a car”.
The Dunkeld Road-based national bus operator published a public consultation on its website last week detailing mooted service changes across the network, taking affect from October 31.
The revised timetables would see the deletion of a number of early morning bus routes as well as the removal of an entire day’s service in one instance.
Among the changes, travellers would see the X56 service from Perth to Edinburgh have its hourly Monday to Saturday schedule restored - but the Sunday service would be withdrawn “due to low usage”.
The 15A service from Perth to Stirling via Crieff would be reduced to every two hours and the 34 ( Perth to Blairgowrie ) and 57 (Perth to Dundee) would have their Saturday frequency reduced to “reflect current usage”.
Meanwhile, the number 16 service between Perth and Dundee will see “some am and pm journeys withdrawn”, which Carse of Gowrie Councillor Alasdair Bailey warns will be detrimental for key workers.
The service would no longer have any pre-7am departures from St Madoes and Errol to Dundee with still no services set up between 7.20am and 9.30am.
Errol to Perth departures at 5.59am and 6.37am have also been removed with the first bus for Perth set at 7.16am.
And the village would continue without a service leaving for Perth between 7.49am and 9.25am.
Cllr Bailey warned: “To leave Errol and St Madoes without a bus to either Dundee or Perth until after 7am shows a complete lack of appreciation for the workers who keep our world ticking over.
“I’ve heard from so many people, from nurses at Ninewells to lollipop men in Perth who will be completely stuck if this change goes ahead.
“The reality is that, unless Stagecoach relent, this will lead to many more people being forced to either quit their jobs or buy a car. Neither outcome is good for our economy or our planet and I hope that Stagecoach sees sense and puts the early buses back.”
Closer to the Fair City, a new number 8 service would partly replace the number 7 between the city centre and Hillend and a new number 18 would replace the number 9 between the city centre and Aviva.
The earliest weekday 23/27 service to and from Perth and Aberfeldy, which leaves Mill Street at 5.50am, would also be axed.
The deletion means that the first bus leaving the Highland Perthshire town for Perth would become the 8.45am service - arriving on Mill Street at 10.15am.
Highland ward councillor John Duff fears this will be calamitous for local residents who work and study in the Fair City.
“Stagecoach has indicated that they are proposing these changes due to the current low usage figures for these services,” he commented.
“I am concerned about these possible changes to services, especially the early morning departure from Aberfeldy.
“It means that bus travellers will not arrive in Perth until 10.15am at the earliest during the week. That may be too late for some workers or students. I would urge anyone who may be affected by the proposals to go online and complete a consultation response.”
The Stagecoach consultation will be open until Monday, September 12.
It comes after Perthshire South and Kinross-shire MSP Jim Fairlie and Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart met with Douglas Robertson, managing director of Stagecoach East, last Thursday to discuss service disruptions across the region caused by a lack of drivers.
Stagecoach detailed what work they are undertaking to recruit more drivers and committed to resolve issues surrounding incorrect information being displayed on automated bus stop displays and in the Stagecoach app.
The consultation and mooted timetable changes can be found at www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-23/08/2022-14:38:53:510
