A Perthshire politician is heaping pressure on a bus firm following service cuts affecting passengers travelling between Edinburgh and Perth.
Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, told The Courier he has written to Scottish Citylink to express his disquiet at changes to their timetable, which he described as “short sighted”.
Last week, the under-fire Scottish Citylink announced they have rolled out a daily return bus service from Edinburgh to Perth at 5.15pm, following a flood of complaints from aggrieved Fair City customers. This service, which began on Monday, was introduced after the bus company said they would be slashing tea-time services from November 23 from the Scottish capital to Perth.
Yesterday, Mr Fraser hit out at Scottish Citylink, and revealed he wants answers from the firm’s management.
The Scottish Conservative politician is asking them to “reconsider” their decision to cut services at tea-time back to Perth.
“Cutting commuter services in an age where we are trying to convince people to use public transport more is short-sighted,” he said.
“Ultimately there is a commercial argument for bus companies who obviously cannot operate routes at a loss.
“However, for people relying on these services to get to work these cuts come as a major blow.”
And Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, described Scottish Citylink’s additional service back from Edinburgh as not being an “acceptable response”.
“These timetable changes have caused all sorts of problems for Scottish Citylink’s most regular and loyal customers and I am still waiting to see a justification from the bus company that adds up,” she said.
However, a spokesman for Scottish Citylink said the company had “ensured” there are still “links available,” either through them or those run by other operators that continue to allow people to travel from Edinburgh to Perth.
“Like all businesses, from time to time we take a look at our network to determine which services are most in demand and which have fewer passengers using them. This is to ensure we are providing the kind of services that reflect the travel habits of our customers.”
The spokesman said Scottish Citylink works hard to ensure they use resources effectively to “meet the needs” of as many as their customers as possible.