Many Fife bus passengers face walks of more than a mile to their nearest express stop after Stagecoach cuts this week.
The company axed almost 40 stops in total from X58, X60 and X61 services between St Andrews and Leven from Monday in a bid to shorten journey times.
But several people have spoken to The Courier, saying they will now find it difficult to access the services.
Seventy-seven-year-old Elda Berg, from Pittenweem, has the choice of walking an extra 15 minutes to catch the express bus or a much longer journey to St Andrews on a different service.
She said: “Folk of my age still like to go out and about but the loss of these bus stops will make it far more difficult.”
Another woman, who lives near Silverburn Park in Leven, is in a similar position.
“My husband and I are in our 70s and have all but given up driving,” she said.
“After July 29, we will need to walk a mile down to Letham Glen bus stop in order to get the bus in any direction.”
‘Less fuss by bus’ claim no longer true, locals say
Meanwhile, Vicky Brown from Cellardyke is considering sitting her driving test at the age of 54.
She said: “I feel like I can’t really rely on the bus anymore.
“It seems very punitive for people in the East Neuk to have their stops halved.
“I think it’s a terrible decision by people who aren’t aware of the area.
“And I’m now looking, at the age of 54, at getting my driving licence because services are being contracted.
“The bus always had a poster on the back saying ‘it’s less fuss by bus’.
“That’s certainly no longer true.”
And another passenger said: “I’ve just seen a Stagecoach advert on Facebook urging me to hop on the express bus to Edinburgh for the festival.
“I don’t think I’ll feel much like hopping after the mile-and-a-half walk to my nearest bus stop now.”
Cuts to north east Fife bus stops were not announced
Almost 600 people have now signed a petition, organised by East Neuk councillor Sean Dillon against the move.
The cuts were not announced in advance and Mr Dillon alerted passengers by pasting notices to affected bus stops.
Stagecoach has defended the action, saying journey times are affected by a number of factors.
These include a higher volume of traffic, the introduction of 20mph zones in some areas, roadworks and badly-parked cars.
A spokesperson said the busiest stops are being kept to retain a balance between having an express, limited service and maintaining access for passengers.
The Courier has been campaigning for adequate bus routes, particularly in rural areas. See more on our dedicated campaigns page.
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