A “vital” transport service which was due to be axed next month has been given a reprieve.
The 101/102 bus from Dumfries to Edinburgh has secured funding from transport agencies to continue until March next year.
The move has been welcomed by transport campaigners who reacted angrily to plans to abandon the route.
A petition to save the service received more than 8,000 signatures before it was closed. And several politicians weighed in to the fight to retain the link between Dumfries and Scotland’s capital.
Campaigner Janet Moxley, who started the petition, said: “Massive thanks to everyone who has supported this petition either online or on paper, or supported the campaign in any way.
“This wouldn’t have happened without thousands of you making your voices heard.
“We’re not out of the woods yet and will keep you posted on developments, but this is a much better situation than we were in a couple of weeks ago.”
The SNP’s South Scotland MSP Emma Harper said: “There is still a lot of work to do to ensure this service is continued after the agreed extension but this is a very welcome development.
“I will continue to work on behalf of my constituents, with my MSP colleagues, to ensure the bus is available after the extension and into the future.
“The 101 and 102 services provide vital, lifeline services for my constituents.” A mix of low passenger numbers and rising costs were cited in SWestrans’ decision to axe the route earlier this month.
It provides funding with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Scottish Borders Council (SBC).
And they performed a dramatic U-turn this week in the wake of the public and political backlash.
In a joint statement they said: “We have jointly agreed to an extension of the 101/102 bus service under the current arrangements with the existing operator, Stagecoach West Scotland.
“This extension will preserve the service at least until 31 March 2023 while further discussions continue with transport operators and funding partners to secure the long term future of bus services to the communities served by the 101/102.
“The three partners have agreed to fund the increased cost of the service for the remainder of financial year 2022/23.
“We would like to thank, individual correspondents, the communities along the route and elected representatives for their work to raise awareness of the importance of bus services in rural areas.
“Invitations to tender and discussions with communities for longer term solutions for the route will be undertaken during the autumn.”
The overall cost of the contract would have risen from £272,417 to just over £500,000 – a hike of 87 per cent.
Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell welcomed the announcement. He said: “This reprieve is testament to the work of local campaigners and I have been happy to lend my support by contacting local and national government.
“Now we need to ensure that a long-term solution is put in place which sees the 101/102 route maintained beyond next March and continuing public use of these services will be key.”
South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth praised campaigners during a meeting organised by Stand up for Our Buses on Wednesday night in Biggar.
“The tender bid makes it unlikely the status quo remains in the long term. We need to work with the local transport agencies and councils to come up with a plan B because we know this will be just one contract that will come to end in the next few months and at a time council budgets are being cut, there is no way they will be able to afford new contracts double the current price.”
