Fears over RBS mobile service changes

The bank, which closed branches in Anstruther and Leven last year, will be operating a new schedule for its mobile branch as of April 30.

When the new schedule begins, Anstruther will be visited just once a week, for 45 minutes.

The current stop in Leven on Saturdays is also to be axed as part of the reschedule, while the amount of time it spends in the town during its stops on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is also to be reduced.

Councillor Linda Holt asked: “Is there no end to the shoddy and dishonest way RBS treat their customers in rural communities?

“Anstruther lost its branch despite protests at the highest levels. The sop from RBS was that other services, most prominently, a mobile bank would be provided as replacement counter service.

“Now this is being cut, providing great inconvenience to the individuals and businesses who still bank with RBS.”

MP Stephen Gethins says he has written to RBS for an explanation for the changes.

“The mobile service was never going to replace a fully functioning bank branch but it was better than no service at all, especially for elderly people and those without private transport,” he said.

“I am very concerned about the impact further cuts will have on communities and small businesses.”

Martin Dibley, a member of Anstruther’s community council, said that the closure of the bank in 2017 was causing problems for small businesses and individuals who need face-to-face banking.

He described the mobile bank service as a “lifeline”, adding: “To say we feel let down and betrayed is a bit of an understatement.”

A Royal Bank of Scotland spokesperson said: “In response to the changing ways our customers are banking we have reviewed the schedules of our mobile branches and added more stops; many of these new stops will cover areas where, unfortunately, an existing branch will be closing, but also some communities where we haven’t had a branch before.

“This does also mean that in some communities we may have to spend less time, but we welcome feedback on how these services are running, and have already committed to reviewing these timetables on a monthly basis.”

New Scotland mobile routes can be found at www.rbs.co.uk/mobilebranch.