Stagecoach blasted
A LOCHABER transport group has blasted Stagecoach for its ‘gun to the head’ negotiating tactics after announcing a review its services in the area.
A LOCHABER transport group has blasted Stagecoach bosses for their ‘gun to the head’ negotiating tactics after announcing a review of all its services in the area.
Lochaber Transport Forum has said it is ‘concerned and annoyed’ that Stagecoach is considering closing the Fort William bus depot and may withdraw its service 45 route in the area.
The issue is made worse for forum members as the news comes without any prior discussion with the travelling public.
Forum chairman Brian Murphy said: ‘Unfortunately, this is the sort of thing we have come to expect from Stagecoach over the years. They rarely seem to have much concern for the problems that their decisions cause passengers – especially the elderly and disabled.’
In a shock statement issued by Stagecoach last week, the company revealed that since April last year it has been unable to cover the cost of running its local network due to a combination of tender losses, reduced passenger demand and higher costs, and the situation is no longer sustainable.
Stagecoach – which runs eight vehicles and employs 16 staff in Fort William – said its alternative proposals for service 45, which takes in Middle Street, Caol, Lochyside, Banavie and Inverlochy, was not acceptable to the Highland Council and the route is to be axed, with its final day being Saturday March 17.
The company says it is also considering further options, including what is termed the ‘closure of the business’.
‘Reading between the lines, it looks like a “gun to the head” negotiating tactic by Stagecoach to try to screw more money out of the council,’ Mr Murphy continued.
‘Quite rightly, the council has not succumbed to this cynical ploy, but it does need to be aware that this is a very important service for the Fort William area and that a solution is required urgently.’
Stagecoach has operated the Fort William bus business since 2008 when it took it over from Rapsons. But a combination of rising operating costs and changes to tenders awarded by the Highland Council in April 2017 has impacted the financial sustainability of the business.
However, Stagecoach says its Scottish Citylink services to Glasgow, Inverness, Oban and Skye will continue to operate.
Mark Whitelocks, managing director for Stagecoach North Scotland, told us: ‘We are a significant local employer and we understand the importance of bus services for the local community.
‘We also know that any change can be unsettling for our people. That’s why we are working closely with both the trade union to protect as many jobs and as much of the local bus services as possible. We’re carrying out a consultation and will be working closely with staff during this process. However, the reality is that we simply cannot sustain the current operation.’
Lochaber MSP Kate Forbes spoke to Mr Whitelocks on Thursday last week and has urged Stagecoach to ‘keep all options open’.
‘I have spoken to the managing director of Stagecoach’s operations in Lochaber to ask them to consider all options as they undergo a review,’ she said.
‘It is also important that staff are supported at every stage because not only are they facing uncertainty but it is often staff on the frontline who take the flak of changes in services.’
Given the infamous tailbacks during the tourist season across Fort William, Ms Forbes also said she was keen that more people were encouraged to use public transport.
She added: ‘We should be getting more people out of their cars and into buses at a time like this, not reducing bus use.
‘There are already challenges of congestion in Fort William and improving public transport would get more people out of their cars.’