Auchterarder residents have staged a protest at cuts to a much-loved community bus service.
The 49/49A Auchterarder Town Bus Service is a circular route that links locals throughout the town with St Margaret’s Hospital, Aytoun Hall and the Co-op.
Daily passenger numbers on the six-day-a-week service have risen to more than 50 since it began in August 2019.
But the local charity that launched it has reluctantly had to cut the service to two days a week – Tuesdays and Fridays – due to a lack of funding.
Passengers met at the hospital to campaign against the timetable changes that take effect on June 5.
‘Taxis would be expensive’
Norma Bear, 82, has no car and relies on the 49 to take her to and from the hospital‘s wounds clinic three days a week.
“It will be a disaster if we don’t keep the service,” she said.
“I have no idea how I will get there instead – and I am not the only one affected.
“There’s an awful lot of people use it to get to the surgery or visit patients.
“The hospital is on the periphery of Auchterarder so is a long way for most people and most of those who use the service are elderly.
“Even if people did take taxis that would be very expensive. We are all watching our pennies at the moment. So that’s not a good option.”
‘They will miss the company on the bus’
Also affected by the cuts will be Mary McGraw, 80, who works at the hospital and travels on the 49 at least three times a day.
“It is going to be a great miss for the town,” she said.
“It is quite a social thing.
“People speak more to each other because they meet on the bus.
“Three different people have said to me this week that they will miss the company on the bus.
“A man who lives around the corner from me is 94 and uses it most days.
“He says he will really miss it.”
Bus ‘helped keep people warm’ in winter
Another protester was Angela Laurie, community connector for Auchterarder and Aberuthven Community Action Plan.
“The town bus is much more than just a means of transport, she said.
“For many people it’s a vital link between home and the wider community, providing a much-needed opportunity for social interaction.
“During the Cosy Spaces project last winter, the town bus enabled people to access the community spaces that kept them warm.
“If it hadn’t been for the service, they wouldn’t have been able to benefit from this support.”
The hospital protest was backed by Cafe Kisa who donated tea and coffee to the passengers.
Funding is drying up
The service is operated by Docherty’s Midland Coaches on behalf of Auchterarder Community Bus Group (ACBuG).
In March 2019 the group was given £150,000 over four years from the Auchterarder Community Facilities Fund, which comes from developer contributions.
Alongside other external grants ACBuG was able to meet its £85,000 annual costs.
But the funding has dried up, meaning the group can only afford £31,000 per year to run it two days a week.
Passengers are charged a flat fare of £1.20 but they almost all have bus passes so income from users is close to zero.
“We were faced with not being able to continue at all beyond May 2023,” said group secretary Carol Duncan.
“But we have been able to get enough funding to operate for two days a week for at least the next 12 months.
“And we hope that if we can get further funding we can get it back up to three days a week at least.
“Passenger numbers are going up. Our average cost per passenger journey has halved because we have had such an uptake on passengers.
“But in the past 12 months we have been unable to sustain the funding.”
Conversation