Funding hope for axed bus service
Council agrees to offer subsidies
Communities which faced being cut off by the end of bus services have been thrown a lifeline during a meeting that attracted angry protesters.
Inside Livingston’s Civic Centre West Lothian Council agreed to step in to fund subsidised buses, while outside almost 100 fed-up locals held a demonstration against cuts made by McGill’s Eastern.
Residents rallied to protest about local bus service cuts they blame for leaving them “stranded”. People from all around West Lothian came to the protest to speak about how the cuts will impact them.
Heather Jones (59), from Deans South told how the bus service and cuts are “flooring” her mental health.
She said: “We are totally stranded. I can’t see my daughter. Can’t get to the shops. My depression has hit the floor.
“I’ve got asthma, arthritis and other issues and now I have to walk up to the top of hill.
“It’s OK if you’re young, but I’m not. I can’t get anywhere.”
Following the protest, the Council Executive has agreed to award a subsidised contract LBS 10 to
McGill’s Eastern Scottish to extend the 21 service to provide a connection between Blackridge and Bathgate via Armadale.
The Executive has also agreed a contribution to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to reinstate a bus service linking Whitburn with the Shotts area, which will provide a connection for residents in Greenrigg.
Executive councillor for the environment and sustainability Tom Conn said: “I am pleased that our team are looking at finding a solution within existing financial resources to address the issues being felt by residents in the Greenrigg and Blackridge areas.”
A representative for McGill’s said at the protest: “We have a reputation around other parts of Scotland where we provide a reliable service, and we want to do that here in West Lothian. “We know it’s greatly under par.
“At the moment with the current shortage of drivers and financial situation, it simply makes it unsustainable.
“We understand how radical it is to take services off in the evenings and on Sundays. What we want to do is build back from a strong foundation. To do this we unfortunately need to make cuts.
“From May 8, we will run 100 per cent of our miles, we will run a much more reliable service to give us time to improve the pipeline of drivers coming through, and then build the services back.
“So this is a temporary situation – how long, is dependent on other situations.”