Cupar residents have declared victory in their campaign to reinstate an axed bus stop.
Stagecoach has bowed to pressure after 84-year-old Val Hynson went door to door with a petition, gaining 260 signatures.
She was backed by Cupar councillor Margaret Kennedy and MP Wendy Chamberlain.
They said the decision to drop the Thomastoun stop from the X54 and X59 Dundee to Edinburgh routes was dangerous.
And The Courier also offered support as part of our campaign against bus service cuts across Fife and Tayside.
The Cupar cut provoked outrage.
It meant an extra walk up to the trading estate where the stop has no shelter.
And many people had to cross the busy A91 twice.
Val said: “I’m so glad the Thomastoun bus stop will be reinstated.
“I can now safely get the bus to Edinburgh again.”
‘Whole community felt strongly about bus stop cut’
She added: “The alternative stop had poor lighting, no shelter on one side of the road and no crossing island to get to it.
“Getting to it and waiting didn’t feel safe at all.
“I knew I wanted to do something about it so I went door to door with a petition to see if others felt the same.
“The whole community felt strongly about getting the bus stop back.”
Ms Kennedy and Ms Chamberlain have also welcomed the u-turn.
The Liberal Democrat politicians met Stagecoach officials to hammer home the negative impact of the change.
Meanwhile, Sustainable Cupar Active Travel Group made their opposition known.
‘Improvements in reliability’
Stagecoach said last year the Cupar bus stop cut was necessary to keep timetables on track.
They blamed the move on increased journey times caused by higher traffic volumes and 20mph zones in some areas.
However, they confirmed it has now been reinstated.
A spokesperson said: “Over recent months, we’ve seen an improvement in reliability on these services, so have re-introduced this stop based on community feedback.
“We will continue to monitor service reliability and patronage in this area.
“This stop will also continue to be served by service X24 and all other local bus services.”
Cuts to dozens of bus stops served by the X58, X60 and X61 will remain in place.
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