Woman felt ‘unsafe’ on packed Dundee to Perth bus as some passengers left stranded

A woman says she felt “unsafe” on a packed Dundee to Perth bus after four people were unable to board and nearly 30 others were forced to stand.

The 39 service – which has previously been branded unreliable by locals – was at capacity between Invergowrie and the Fair City on Tuesday morning, leaving several people, including school pupils, stranded at bus stops along the way.

One passenger, who did not want to be named, said the situation was “appalling” and that it felt dangerous.

The woman, who boarded at 7.30am on Perth Road in Dundee, was only able to sit down after the bus reached Ninewells Hospital and other passengers got off.

However, she said the bus was “standing room only” again by the time it reached Invergowrie before reaching full capacity.

The passenger claims cuts to bus services in Perthshire and the use of a single-decker vehicle contributed to the problem.

Dundee to Perth bus ‘felt dangerous’ as four passengers left stranded by packed service

She told The Courier: “I don’t get the bus often but I heard the driver say it was just as busy yesterday (Monday).

“She said she asked for a double-decker but didn’t get one.

“The bus wasn’t able to pick up some passengers, including schoolkids just as we were coming into Perth because there wasn’t any space.

“I am not criticising the driver, she never went over the limit, but with around 30 people standing it felt dangerous.

“I didn’t get a seat when I first got on at Perth Road but managed to sit down when people got off at Ninewells.

“The bus was full again and standing room only by the time we got to Invergowrie.

“It takes a good hour for what is a 20-minute drive.

“I got on the bus at 7.30am for work, but this will put me off getting the bus again.

“I just felt really unsafe.

“People were being polite about it but people were being left behind and schoolkids were saying they wouldn’t be able to get to school.”

Stagecoach apologises after passengers left stranded by Dundee to Perth bus

Stagecoach East Scotland confirmed that four people were unable to board the service between Invergowrie and Perth.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm the 39 service that departs Whitehall Street at 7.17am was at capacity by the time it reached Invergowrie this morning.

“As a result, we were unable to board four intending passengers along the route between Invergowrie and Perth.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this caused.

“This was the first occasion where we have been unable to board all intending passengers on this journey.

“The single deck vehicle used this morning has a seating capacity of 42 with another 29 passengers allowed to stand.

“The driver ensured this capacity was not exceeded at any time.

“We will continue to review the vehicle allocation of this particular journey to determine if a larger capacity vehicle should be allocated.”

Passengers have previously hit out at the “unreliable” 39 bus service, which was introduced in May to replace the withdrawn 16 and X7 routes.

The Courier previously revealed that six breakdowns and 50 “technical issues” had hit Stagecoach buses in Tayside and Fife in just one week.

The firm recently revealed it is looking to hire 38 drivers in Fife.