Stagecoach is axing dozens of bus stops on its express services through north east Fife.
The X58, X60 and X61 services will drop almost 40 stops in total between St Andrews and Leven from Monday.
The bus firm has blamed the move on increased journey times on the routes, which continue to Edinburgh city centre via Kirkcaldy.
It says this is due to a number of factors including higher volume of traffic and the introduction of 20mph zones in some areas.
Roadworks, inconsiderably parked vehicles and lack of bus priority in Fife also have an impact.
However, according to East Neuk councillor Sean Dillon, the shock decision was made without any consultation with affected communities.
And there has been very little publicity.
Mr Dillon has now posted notices at some of the bus stops that will no longer be served to ensure passengers are informed.
He has also launched a petition calling on Stagecoach to shelve their proposals.
And he is now calling on Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop to urgently intervene.
Stagecoach ‘punishing’ rural communities
Mr Dillon’s campaign, backed by The Courier, comes amid a major shake-up of Fife bus services.
The Liberal Democrat councillor fears rural communities are being unfairly targeted.
And he says older and less mobile passengers will be particularly affected by the changes to express services.
Mr Dillon states public transport in the East Neuk of Fife is already poor.
And he expressed doubt that cutting the number of stops there would have much impact on overall journey times.
“In my experience, delays to this service can be explained by congestion between the Forth Road Bridge and Edinburgh city centre,” he said.
“I have often been a passenger when it has taken over an hour to travel the 14 or so miles between these two points.
“By looking at ways to cut down the time taken on this part of the route, Stagecoach would be far more successful in reducing journey times.
“However, instead, they decided to punish rural communities where we already have poor public transport links.”
What is Stagecoach’s explanation?
Stagecoach East Scotland says the changes from next week are primarily improvements to its express service.
However, they agreed the removal of some stopping points could inconvenience some people.
A spokesperson said the busiest stops are being kept to retain a balance between having an express, limited service and maintaining access for passengers.
They insist they are “removing only those which were used infrequently, or by few, and where an alternative is just a short distance away”.
And the spokesperson added: “If in time, it is identified that a stop that we have removed is likely to become well-used we can look to add this in.
“However, we need to evaluate what impact these changes have on our reliability, so do not have plans to not be adding in any additional stops again at this time.”
Full list of express bus stops axed between St Andrews and Leven
The 95 service between St Andrews and Leven will continue to run.
But while it also serves the bus stops withdrawn from the express services, the journey takes significantly longer.
The full list of Fife express bus stops being removed between St Andrews and Leven are:
X58
St Andrews
Alexandra Place
Bridge Street
Fire Station
Lundin Links
Bowling green
Old Manor Hotel
Leven
Silverburn Park
Scoonie Golf Course
Haughgate Avenue
Maitland Street
St Andrews Parish Church
Waggon Road
Viewforth Nursery.
X60/61
St Andrews
Alexandra Place
Bridge Street
Fire Station
Pipeland Road/Lamond Drive
Warrack Street/Lamond Drive
Woodburn Terrace/Lamond Drive
Cellardyke
Police Station
March Crescent
School Road
Anstruther
The Scottish Fisheries Museum
Crichton Street
Pittenweem
Milton Place
Viewforth Place
St Monans
Elm Grove (caravan site)
Elie
Wadeslea
Primary School
Upper Largo
Simpson Institute
Lundin Links
Bowling Green
Old Manor Hotel
Leven
Silverburn Park
Scoonie Golf Course
Haughgate Avenue
Hawthorn Street
Scoonie Kirk
Viewforth Nursery
Courier campaign to protect bus services
It comes after Stagecoach implemented a raft of service cuts in Perthshire and Fife earlier this year.
The Courier has been campaigning for adequate bus routes, particularly in rural areas. See more on our dedicated campaigns page.
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