Levenmouth to lose main Glasgow bus service

The X26 service, which currently runs hourly between 5.25am and 5.45pm, will end on May 14.

The bus runs between Leven and Glasgow, passing through Glenrothes, Dunfermline, Kincardine and Cumbernauld, as well as many other Fife and central belt towns.

The removal of the service means the X27 bus, which departs Leven bus station at 4.45am, will be the only direct service between the town and Glasgow between Monday and Friday.

Stagecoach explained that the service would be rerouted to serve Dundee instead of Levenmouth.

Scott Hall, commercial manager, Stagecoach East Scotland, said: “As part of our ongoing network reviews we are making a number of revisions in the area, including the rerouting of service X26 to serve Dundee.

“Due to this change of route, the X26 will no longer serve Leven, however a new service X4 between Leven and Glenrothes will retain the same regular links between the two towns, as well as providing easy connections to Glasgow from Glenrothes bus station.

“This change will also allow us to utilise vehicles more suitable for the busy roads around Markinch which have proven difficult for coaches on the current X26 route on some journeys.”

The change was criticised by Levenmouth Rail Campaign (LMRC) secretary Dr Allen Armstrong.

“Levenmouth is drifting further away from the rest of the country,” he stated.

“This reliance on bus services is frustrating.

“This is a major blow.

“With the rail link to Edinburgh you could change at Haymarket.

“The loss of this direct bus service just shows we can’t rely on any single mode of transport.

“Levenmouth is really suffering from its poor connectivity.

“It’s an absolute disgrace.”