Some bus services in mid Fife are to be reduced to meet council budgets.
However, the local authority has denied routes are being cut and pledged that people will not be left high and dry.
The services affected have not yet been revealed as formal contracts have still to be awarded, but there are believed to be five routes in Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Levenmouth.
All are at present subsidised by Fife Council and are said to carry very few passengers, making them unviable.
The controversial decision has angered opposition councillors, who claim it was taken at a behind-closed-doors meeting with no consultation with residents.
Levenmouth councillor Ally Hunter claimed last week that the councillors who took the decision had no local knowledge and had no timetables showing what the reduced services would look like.
He called for detailed information to be made publicly available to allow local members and passengers to comment, amid fears the area’s most disadvantaged residents would be worst hit.
However, his claims were refuted at the weekend by the council’s transportation spokesman, Councillor Pat Callaghan, who said 1,300 people had been spoken to.
He added that local members were also invited to a seminar to discuss the service reduction but only three turned up.
“It sticks in my throat a bit to hear someone saying this was voted through without consultation,” he said.
The Courier understands five services were earmarked to be cut by officers who discovered that in some cases only one passenger was travelling every two hours.
Members refused to cut the routes completely however, opting instead to reduce the frequency of the buses.
It is thought that each affected service has a commercial Stagecoach service running parallel to it, meaning passengers will not be left stranded.
Mr Callaghan added: “We believe we are taking ever opportunity to consult.
“This has never been done before. Thankfully we didn’t have to remove any services but we are reducing services.”
He said the Labour administration was trying its “level best” to run the council fairly and spend the budgets.
“There is a disingenuous streak running through this because it’s political point scoring,” he said.
“Every councillor can have access to every report, whether it is on pink paper or not, and they are encouraged to do so.”
Mr Hunter said he had seen the report written on pink paper to signify it is confidential but claimed the information was “almost impenetrable”.
His attempt to have the matter referred back to the Executive Committee for further, more detailed discussion failed last week.
“I’m very, very disappointed,” he said.
“They are constantly saying to us to come forward with our ideas on how to make the very difficult job of running Fife Council even better.”