The Royal Bank of Scotland has been told that Mearns residents “deserve better than burger van banking”.
Residents have raised concerns with local SNP councillor Leigh Wilson who has now urged RBS to “up its game”.
Mr Wilson previously met with bank chiefs in Montrose to discuss the closure of the Angus branch where assurances were given that a mobile van would be dispatched around the Mearns to compensate for the loss of service.
As the route has taken shape, however, Mr Wilson said local residents have voiced concerns over the availability of the van.
He said: “The mobile bank only visits Mearns communities twice a week for a maximum of 45 minutes.
“The times it visits my ward are restrictive to most people who are working, and the short duration of the stay is problematic for anyone who wants to do meaningful business.
“However, the ultimate insult is that the van doesn’t even have disabled access – it did initially but had to be removed because of safety concerns.”
He added: “The flaws with this mobile branch reduce it to little more than a glorified trades van and my constituents deserve better than burger van banking.”
RBS took the decision in December to close 62 branches in Scotland, with Montrose one of the losses, citing a change in the way customers access services as the primary reason.
The full extent of closures leaves RBS with half the number of branches as its main competitor, the Bank of Scotland.
The loss of the Montrose branch – after recent closures in Brechin and Stonehaven – leaves an Arbroath to Aberdeen sized gap in provision and a 50 mile round-trip for some Mearns residents to access their nearest bank.
A spokesman for RBS said: “The way our customers are banking is changing and it is important that we respond to that change.
“Across Scotland, counter transactions reduced by 42% between 2014 and 2017, only 1% of our customers in Scotland visit their branch weekly; and seven in 10 customers are using mobile or online banking.
“We recognise that change can be unsettling however our teams are committed to ensuring that all our customers receive the best possible service, if customers have concerns or questions about their options then we would encourage them to get in touch with us or speak to our local team.
“We have invested to provide more ways to bank with us now than ever before from local, to face-to-face and digital options: branches; Post Offices; mobile vans; online banking; mobile banking; telephony; cash machines (ATMs); cashback; contactless; Community Bankers; Business Growth Enablers; TechXperts; and many more.
“We now have 2,000 places across Scotland where our customers can bank face-to-face. Our mobile branch visits Montrose twice a week on Mondays for an hour and on Wednesday for an hour.”