Anger as bus service is axed
bus service which met the first ferry from Brodick has been axed.
Users have expressed disappointment at the fact that the Stagecoach X36 service no longer meets the first sailing at the Ardrossan ferry terminal and some other sailings.
It was well used by many elderly and infirm to get into Ardrossan town or go to Glasgow but Stagecoach says it was only ‘lightly used’ and says the service is no longer viable.
Huge help
Meilan Henderson from Lochranza said: ‘For the past four or five years, this has been a huge help to people of limited mobility, allowing them to avoid the long walk from the ferry terminal to Princes Street.
‘Being able to walk off the ferry at 9.20am and get onto the bus at the ferry terminal seven minutes later was a wonderful bonus. Of course one could also go all the way to Glasgow on it, getting to Buchanan Street by 10.45am – almost as fast as taking the train then
walking, or even bussing, up from Central Station.
‘The new timetable came out on June 4. You would have thought Stagecoach would have informed the
Banner and also CalMac of this change to a service that was of use only to Arran travellers, but no, I found out the hard way, and I’m sure others have too.
‘I hope this will be a way of warning other people before they too miss the train by standing trustingly outside the ferry terminal waiting for a bus that will never come.’
The matter was raised at the Isle of Arran ferry committee earlier this month but it is not known if they plan to take the matter up with Stagecoach.
A spokeswoman for Stagecoach West Scotland said: ‘Prior to Sunday June 4, three journeys per day on our X36 service served Ardrossan ferry terminal, all of which were very lightly used by ferry passengers. To ensure the stability of the X36 service, changes were required to the route.
‘As part of these changes, the decision was taken to no longer serve the ferry terminal. This was due to tight turnaround times for the services in Ardrossan. In order for the X36 to serve the ferry terminal, an additional vehicle would have been required, the costs of which would have been disproportionate to the level of demand.’