The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Tourist-ready bus service in Cairngorms
Stagecoach has announced a new Aviemore Adventurer bus to promote tourism in the Cairngorms.
The number 30 bus will have lockers for skis, bikes and outdoor equipment so it can take passengers from Aviemore to Cairngorm mountain.
It will run every hour, starting from May 22.
Another new bus, the 36A, was also announced. It will run from Aviemore to Aberlour and Dufftown via Grantown-on-Spey and the A95.
The announcements were made at a Scottish Rural and Island Transport Community (SRITC) gathering last week, with Transport Minister Kevin Stewart in attendance.
SRITC was founded in 2018 as a social enterprise to build a community that works to address the many transport challenges facing rural and island communities.
Murray Ferguson, director of planning and place at Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “We are delighted to hear of this new investment in public transport in a key part of the national park.
“This is a really helpful move in the right direction for rural transport, which will complement all our work to make this a national park where people and nature thrive together.”
The decision comes after the resort announced the launch of mountain biking trails and the return of tubing for this summer.
Visitors will be able to get to the revamped Ptarmigan building – which includes a shop and the UK’s highest restaurant – at the top station via the mountain railway, which was reinstated earlier this year after four years out of action.
The repair job of the UK’s highest railway took £25 million and officials hope it could welcome in a landmark year for the local economy.
David Beaton, managing director for Stagecoach North Scotland, said: “Our new services will make it even easier for visitors to Aviemore and the north of Scotland to travel sustainably this summer.
“Service 36A will provide a connection with the existing service 36, making it possible to travel from Aviemore to Elgin via Aberlour.”
Fergus Ewing MSP said: “This is welcome news and I hope the service is well used.”
The news comes after 11 north-east bus services were slashed by Stagecoach earlier in the week after cuts to transport budgets from both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council.
Mark Tate, chief executive of the Cairngorm Business Partnership, said: “We are delighted to welcome the SRITC gathering to the Cairngorms this week focusing on solutions that can work for people in rural Scotland.
“Improving access to quality, reliable, affordable public transport, for both locals and visitors, is critical to the economy and our environment.”