Bus company could do more
Dear Editor I would like to make some comment on the article in last Friday’s Observer (December 20, 2019) concerning the X10 bus service.
As a fairly frequent user of the service I would make the initial point that First might be persuaded to make a greater investment in it if more people actually used it.
An improved service, following such investment, might encourage car owners, who want to conserve energy, to leave their vehicles at home.
Despite this, I am in general agreement with the comments in your article but would wish to raise a couple of points which are within First’s control.
Several months ago First made great play of painting five double deckers in ‘Discovery Route’ livery with an appropriate launch at Glengoyne Distillery for the 10/12 route, the predecessor of the X10 and following exactly the same route.
These buses are hardly ever used on the double decker duties on the X10. Indeed from observation they seem to be used on all routes in Stirling except the X10. What was the point of that investment?
Secondly, to be fair to First, in the first month or so of the X10 the scheduled single decker workings were served by slightly newer sevenyear-old vehicles, as promised by
First, but needless to say that has not continued.
Quite apart from the coach highlighted in your article, the single deckers working the route are those which in the main are 15 years old and not had a repaint in years, if ever.
I can understand the difficulties in running a rural lifeline service but I feel First could do so much more at little or no extra cost to attract people, even car owners, to use the service.