Heated exchanges at bus row meeting

DOZENS of bus users turned out at a public meeting on changes to Dundee bus services.

Locals got the chance to quiz a panel made up of representatives from the organisation Bus Users Scotland, Stagecoach, Xplore Dundee and the city council.

Changes to Xplore Dundee services 4, 5, 14 and 24 had sparked the meeting, with many people venting their fury at bus bosses.

Residents from areas including Woodside, Coldside, Dryburgh, Lochee and Charleston attended.

Charleston Tenants and Residents’ Association chairwoman Stella Carrington criticised Xplore Dundee, accusing company chiefs of focusing on “profits before people”.

To loud applause, she added: “It’s terrible what you’re doing to the city’s pensioners.”

Kathleen Birse, 69, a retired warden from Lochee, felt that everything was “already cut and dried”.

She said: “It’s so frustrating to shout and feel you’re not being heard.”

Geoff Flogdell, 61, a disabled resident affected by the withdrawal of service 4, said the problem with the changes was best demonstrated by the fact he had missed the last bus home — by attending a noon meeting about buses.

However, Alex Garthley, 65, from the Fleming Gardens area, said he felt more positive after the meeting, as people had taken the opportunity to air their views.

He said: “We’ll see what happens now but I think the council and Xplore could tweak the services to better suit us.”

Local councillors Lynne Short, Alan Ross and Fraser Macpherson were in attendance, to represent the views of their constituents.

Ms Short and Mr Ross both felt the elderly were worst hit by changes.

Ms Short said: “It’s frustrating as local councillors that we can’t do more.”

A spokeswoman for Xplore Dundee said afterwards: “We are ready and willing to sit down with Dundee City Council to discuss how to resolve some of the issues raised by local residents.

“The local authority can decide to subsidise routes where there is a social need and we are certainly prepared to work with them to help plug some of the gaps in the network which were highlighted at today’s meeting.

“All of the comments made by members of the public have been noted and will be taken into consideration when planning any future changes.”

One bus user questions the changes to some services in the city as a panel of representatives from the council and bus firms are grilled on the issue.