‘Please don’t leave village in no man’s land’
Blind pensioner’s plea to bus firm
to the relevant parties involved at the time.
“It attracted interest from many. “I have also received support from three of the blind charities.
“I have need for gym treatment since my stroke two years ago and I have to go to Crieff or PRI for medical check-ups.
“People use that bus because it runs through Comrie and Crieff to Perth.
“They plan to cut the service between here and Comrie.
“I now call [the land between St Fillans and Comrie] ‘no man’s land’.
“I am a member of Scottish Blind Golf Society. I spent the last 20- odd years in the group and have represented Scotland in the internationals.
“My aim is to hopefully get back to golf.”
Ian said he felt many others would feel the effects if the 15 service is changed.
“St Fillans is a small place and there is no post office or bank, Crieff has the nearest bank,” he added.
“My wife takes care of me and I am completely dependant on her but I can’t rely on that if she is not here.
“That is me affected, but not to speak of the others out here who are mainly elderly.
“I’d imagine plenty of local people support us in this. They are in the same boat and enjoy the same services.
“The village also has three hotels with staff who travel from places like Crieff and Comrie to get to work.
“I am hoping Stagecoach sees sense but I think we have to sit down and reach some sort of agreement.”
A spokesperson for Stagecoach East Scotland said: “The reason for withdrawing this commercially operated service is due to low passenger numbers.
“The peak and school time journeys will still run, however the daytime services have been loss-making for some time with an average of three people using the service.
“Therefore, it is not viable to keep these journeys running.
“We have been in discussions with Perth and Kinross Council to ensure an alternative solution is found for those who are affected”.