A review of the bus routes subsidised by Dundee City Council is to be undertaken this summer.
The council’s head of transport Neil Gellatly has confirmed he will reassess the subsidised routes to establish any gaps.
The local authority runs four routes National Express Dundee deems to be ”not financially viable.” However, many of these routes do not run on a Sunday or finish as early as 6pm, leaving some residents feeling isolated.
West End councillor Fraser Macpherson said in his ward, where the 204 and 204a operate, there is an ”inadequate” bus service and a lack of Sunday service in areas like Pentland, Scott Street, Newhall Gardens and Invergowrie Drive.
The situation was exacerbated when National Express rerouted the number 4 service away from the West End.
Mr Macpherson said: ”I have been advised (by Mr Gellatly) that the areas I have highlighted will be reassessed as part of a review of local bus service provision by the council in the summer.
”The purpose of this review is to look at the operation of the small number of bus services the council subsidises and any gaps in provision.”
He said elderly residents in particular felt isolated by the lack of Sunday service.
”Some form of Sunday service where there is currently none would be a boon,” he said. ”The 204 serves parts of the West End which otherwise wouldn’t have a bus service, but the route’s very convoluted. It takes a while to get where you need to get.”
People with mobility problems living in the Logie area are forced to walk over hilly ground to Blackness Road to get a bus on a Sunday.
Last year the boss of National Express Dundee, Phil Smith, came in for fierce criticism when he said he would only put on financially viable services.
He told a group of pensioners that where services couldn’t be operated on a financially viable basis it was up to Dundee City Council to ”fill in the gaps.”
However, Coldside councillor Helen Wright criticised him for trying to pass the buck.