Stagecoach closes info centres at four Fife bus stations

Travel centres in four Fife bus stations have been closed - and there no plans to re-open them.

The cost cutting measure from Stagecoach came as the bus company announced the return of services to pre-COVID-19 levels.

The doors have closed to the information points in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, Leven and Dunfermline.

The move comes just one week after employees were warned of possible job cuts as the company moved to become a “smaller business.”

In a message to staff, Martin Griffiths, CEO, warned:““A number of our colleagues are at risk of redundancy following a review of our support functions.”

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A spokeswoman for Stagecoach said the decision to close the travel shops was “difficult but unavoidable” as a result of a massive drop in passenger numbers throughout the coronavirus lockdown.

She added: “At this stage, we have no plans to re-open the travel shops in these areas.

“We are helping our people through this uncertain period as we make changes to best protect our business and the services we provide to local communities."

The axe also fell on bus station shops in Dundee and Arbroath, with passengers told to go online or use the company’s app to get information.

Stagecoach also announced a shake up of some services.

While it returned operations to pre-Covid-19 levels and brought back some some routes that haven’t been able to operate for the last few months, others face a less certain future.

The company has launched a public consultation over its plans for a number of west Fife routes, which include withdrawing some services.

It also proposes ending the Service 23 which covers St Andrews, Cupar, Auchtermuchty, Kinross, Dollar and Stirling which it says is no longer viable due to a decrease in passenger numbers.

Stagecoach wants to implement the changes from the end of September.The deadline for comments is Friday, August 7.

Douglas Robertson, managing director, Stagecoach East Scotland said: "We’re pleased to be returning to our pre-Covid-19 timetables, and getting some of the routes we haven’t been able to operate back up and running.

“Following a review of our operations, we have taken the decision not to re-open the travel shops at Arbroath, Dundee, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Leven, however customers will still be able to get access to all the information they need and buy tickets via stagecoachbus.com, or through our app.

https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/east-scotland/service-change-consultation.

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