NOT ONTHE BUSES
Fight is on to save Stewartfield service again
Residents in Stewartfield are to be left with no access to buses after First Glasgow axed a lifeline service from their timetable.
The bus operators confirmed they are to permanently cut the lifeline 31 bus with immediate effect – the only one that serves residents there.
Now a petition launched by desperate commuters to try and save the vital service has amassed over 500 signatures in just 24-hours.
The latest petition was launched by councillors Joe Fagan and Monique McAdams this week and reads: “The 31 bus provides a lifeline service to the communities of Stewartfield and West Mains.
“For many passengers living along the route, it is the only local bus service they can use and an
essential part of their commute.
“We believe that public transport should be a public service. Removing the 31 bus from East Kilbride would disrupt people’s lives, create more dependence on the car and deprive Stewartfield, West Mains and the wider area of a necessary service.”
First Glasgow suspended the service amid the COVID-19 crisis but confirmed this week they would not be bringing it back into circulation.
The service, which connects East Kilbride and Carmunnock village via Stewartfield, will now only run between Glasgow and Carmunnock.
The route serves a number of workplaces, including the Centre 1 tax office, industrial units and Stewartfield shops.
Its removal would leave Stewartfield with no service, and severely hamper those in nearby West Mains, with residents having to go to the town centre for a bus.
Councillor Fagan told the News: “Private operators might struggle to make a profit on it but withdrawing so much of the service leaves the needs of the community unmet.
“They should be a public service run for the whole community. I am trying to get as much information from First Bus as possible about this decision and the reasons behind it.
“That will help us build an informed case for the retention of lifeline local bus services.”
First say the low demand and cost of operating the East Kilbride section of the service “means it is no longer viable”.
This is the second time they have tried to axe the service having been denied permission from the Competition Commission to withdraw it in 2013.
At that time a campaign by locals saw a U-turn – but the fight is on once again.
Helping lead that fight, Councillor McAdams believes the loss of the 31 would be “catastrophic” for the Stewartfield community.
She told us: “If this decision is not overturned it will be devastating for those Stewartfield residents who reliant upon this service as a lifeline, enabling essential travel for doctors and dentist appointments, as well as for food shopping.
“This kind of short-sighted decision clearly demonstrates the need for public transport to be brought under public ownership.
“For any Scottish Government green strategy to be taken seriously the use of public transport needs to be encouraged rather than reduced.
“By leaving the people of Stewartfield without this service, an increased reliance upon cars will only exacerbate the town’s carbon footprint.”