The suspension of a bus service that links Kinross-shire to Stirling will isolate rural residents, it has been claimed.
First Bus’s X53 route, which links Kinross, Crook of Devon and Rumbling Bridge to Stirling, will be temporarily suspended from January due to a driver shortage- just 14 months after its introduction.
It was brought in to replace Stagecoach’s 23 service which travelled on the same route.
Owen Streeter, from Dollar in Clackmannanshire, uses the X53 frequently – including to visit family in Edinburgh.
He would take the bus to Stirling and board a train from there to the capital.
The 49-year-old uses a wheelchair and, although he can drive, prefers using public transport.
When the bus is withdrawn, Owen will have to travel to Tillicoutry and then Stirling, before getting a train.
‘People are worried’
He said: “I feel like we will be more isolated. We will need to get two buses now to go to Stirling. The whole situation is not ideal.
“The new route I will have to take will add an extra one-and-a-half to two hours on to my journeys. Sometimes the buses don’t match up and I’m left waiting ages for the next one.”
He says residents of Muckhart will see more of an impact as the X53 is the only bus that goes through the village.
Owen added: “I’ve spoken to other people who use the X53 and most of them are really worried.
“One lady said she would struggle without it. She uses it every Saturday for going shopping and things but now she needs to think about starting to shop elsewhere.”
Mark Ruskell, Scottish Greens MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, has written to First about plans to scrap the route.
He said: “The X53 service is a vital bus route for many of my constituents who live across Stirling and Kinross-shire.
“If First Bus decide to axe the service, some communities along the route will be effectively cut off and left with no public transport whatsoever, with serious implications for peoples’ access to critical services like healthcare and transport.
“If this cut goes ahead it will be a huge blow for residents.
“I’ve written to First Bus today to ask them to do all they can to protect the X53 service and ensure that communities served by the route are not left behind.”
He added: “Any cut to public transport inevitably leads to more cars on the road, worsening the climate crisis, reducing air quality and making streets less safe.
“With free bus travel for under 22-year-olds just around the corner, now is not the time to be cutting lifeline services.
“I urge First Bus to engage meaningfully with people who rely on this service and to reconsider this cut which will leave so many in Clackmannanshire isolated.”
Response from First Bus
Graeme Macfarlane, commercial director for First Bus in Scotland, told The Courier: “We are doing everything we can to maintain a comprehensive network of services that supports our customers and our communities.
“The majority of routes are running normally although in some areas we are making temporary timetable adjustments to ensure a reliable service and minimise disruption.
“We thank customers for their patience and understanding while we overcome this short-term situation.
The X53 is part of a number of further changes we are having to implement in order to address our on-going driver shortage issue
First Bus
“The X53 is part of a number of further changes we are having to implement in order to address our ongoing driver shortage issue.”
He added that should driver numbers improve the service could be saved.
Elsewhere Stagecoach‘s X56 service from Perth to Edinburgh, which passes through Kinross, will see its frequency halved to one every two hours.
