The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Oudenarde folk say no bus service just not ‘fare’
Firm under fire over service to one estate but not another
A bus operator has come under fire for its failure to provide a service to one fledgling estate on the edge of Perth, while doing so for another.
Stagecoach is catering for Bertha Park on the city’s western edge while Oudenarde, by Bridge of Earn, is still awaiting a service, despite more than twice as many houses being occupied.
Stagecoach launched its extended number four service at the beginning of the summer, which connects the city centre with Bertha Park via Inveralmond industrial estate.
The extension was subsidised by both the council and Bertha Park housing developers Springfield, where 101 houses have been built – 38 occupied and a further 23 reserved by buyers.
At Oudenarde – earmarked for around 1,500 homes – 92 are already built and occupied.
A handful of pre-existing houses and farm cottages on the site mean the number of families at Oudenarde is past the three-figure mark but they have been left with no public transport to Perth.
The scheme has also suffered the loss of its GP surgery at nearby Bridge of Earn, with patients having to travel to Perth for appointments, making public transport vital.
Earn Community Council has already suggested to the council and NHS Tayside altering bus routes or introducing a community transport scheme to connect the peripheral and rural areas around Bridge of Earn to the village centre – and potentially Perth – to resolve the GP access issue.
A Stagecoach spokesperson said: “We constantly review our network to identify customer demand and opportunities and are happy to welcome discussions with Perth and Kinross Council and housing developers in the future.”
“We constantly review our network to identify customer demand. STAGECOACH SPOKESPERSON