Bus firm win praise but lose contracts

Bus users in Riverside had a collection for their drivers after learning their employers had lost the contract for the service.

First Midland Bluebird took over the C30 Causeway-head-Stirling-Riverside contract from Clackmannan-based Hunters Executive Coaches on Monday.

The family- owned Wee County company had run the subsidised service since 2011. They had hoped to retain it for the next three years but they were edged out by First in the tendering process.

The new agreement between First and Strling Council runs until August 2020.

Members of Riverside Community Council were told of the change at their meeting last Wednesday.

Secretary Ann Graham said: “It’s disappointing that Hunter’s have lost the contract when we had such a good service from them. We were not happy when First ran the service in the past but we will have to wait and see how they will now run it.

“The four drivers from Hunter’s who were regularly on the C30 service have become friends and were always very considerate of the elderly and disable.

“To show our appreciation passengers had a collection and we raised £100. It enabled us to give the drivers £25 each.”

First have also taken on another Stirling Council bus contract, the C48 service which takes in Bannockburn, Stirling, Cornton, Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Ashfield and Kinbuck.

Hunters had run the service since 2015, when they took it over from Wave, who had operated the city’s park-and-ride.

A spokesperson from Hunter’s said that the management and drivers were “extremely disappointed” to have lost the contracts.

“We have operated both services using quality coaches and well trained drivers,” he added. “The company prides itself on delivering high-quality and reliable bus services.

“On the C30 service we carried 150-200 passengers per day, with the regular drivers building up a successful rapport with the customers.

“The customers in Dunblane have also expressed their dissatisfaction that we would no longer be operating their C48 service, as we have done successfully for the past two years.

“We would like to thank the residents in both communities for their kind comments and support.”

A spokesman for First Midland Bluebird said: “We have a successful track record in operating contracted services and recent examples include the H1 and H2 services, where we have grown passenger numbers.”