A row over a controversial hospital link bus service that runs between Perth and Dundee has escalated with a councillor inviting a Stagecoach boss to try out the journey for himself.
Willie Wilson, one of the representatives for Perth City South has been campaigning on behalf of residents to ask the transport company to replace the type of coach provided on the X7 bus service.
The bus operates between Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI) and Ninewells Hospital on its way to Aberdeen.
Mr Wilson, who has the support of Dundee Councillor Fraser Macpherson, wrote to Sir Brian Souter, co-founder of Stagecoach, to express his dismay at the number of complaints he has received about the X7 bus.
However, the Scottish Liberal Democrat politician said he received an “extremely disappointing” response from Martin Griffiths, chief executive of the Stagecoach Group.
“This response really ignores the total issue,” he said.
“The response is totally unacceptable. I am writing back to the chief executive asking him to join me on the bus one day on a return journey between the two hospitals so that he can see for himself the difficulty that people have in gaining access to the bus, climbing the stairs and negotiating the narrow passage, especially when the bus is moving.
“There is adequate testimony to indicate that the buses are not suitable for inter-hospital transport between PRI, Ninewells and Royal Victoria Hospital.
In Mr Griffiths’s letter to Mr Wilson, he said: “We have been very pleased with the new vehicles deployed on the X7. Indeed, this is reflected in passenger growth of nearly 20% since their introduction.
“This gives me confidence that the travelling public are benefitting from this significant new investment.”
And a Stagecoach spokesman added: “As we have already made clear to Councillor Wilson, we run another regular service between Ninewells Hospital and Perth which is operated by low floor buses for those who do not wish to use the X7 route.”