New bus on Clacks route
A new Hillfoots route is part of a soon-to-be-launched Stirling to Kinross bus service.
The First Midland X53 service, which takes in Tillicoultry, Dollar and Muckhart, will cover the majority of the former Stagecoach 23 service which is to be withdrawn next month.
Stagecoach had come under fire from passengers and politicians, over the decision to axe the Stirling to St Andrews service on Monday, September 28.
Critics described the move as shortsighted but Stagecoach said the service had been “under-performing” before the Covid-19 pandemic and was operating at a significant loss.
This week First Midland said their new service, end to end, will have a journey time of around an hour and at peak times there will be additional journeys to support travel to the Stirling University campus.
The company’s Graeme Macfarlan said: “We are delighted to be introducing the brand new X53 service to maintain links for passengers on the Hillfoots corridor between Stirling and Kinross.
“We look forward to serving customers along this route and, with some great value fares on offer, we hope that more people with consider using the bus more often as their transport mode of choice.
“We are especially keen to ask more car users to reconsider bus as an alternative option for travel in the region as we look to do our part in a green recovery from the global pandemic that has affected us all.”
The new service emerged following an appeal to bus operators by Clackmannanshire Council’s transport team.
Clackmannanshire councillor Craig Holden said this week: “The council was notified by Stagecoach of its plan to cease the 23 service and was concerned that this would leave sections of our community, particularly Muckhart, without access to public transport.
“We put a call out to local commercial operators and asked whether any of them were prepared to fill the gap and were delighted when First Bus stepped forward and said that they would start a new service, the X53 between Kinross and Stirling from Saturday, September 12.
“The X53 will provide public transport to Muckhart, as well as to the Hillfoots and a link to Stirling University, and we encourage local people to support this new service to help ensure that it is a commercial success.”
Full details of the new service including timetables and fare information will be available on the First Midland website, subject to approval from the traffic commissioner’s office: www. firstscotlandeast.com.