Stagecoach to axe ‘vital’ Fife bus service

The 23 bus route links some of north east Fife’s rural villages, including Auchtermuchty, Dairsie and Strathmiglo, as well as Kinross. Stagecoach said the route was operating at a loss and was under-performing before Covid-19 struck.

Councillor Jane Ann Liston said the service is ‘vital’ for some of its passengers and called on the company to reverse its decision.

“Taking away the 23 would more than double some bus journeys, with many requiring a change of bus with all the attendant inconveniences that entails, including an increase in fare because of the need to buy multiple tickets,” she said.

“I thought the message from the government was that public transport journey times were to be reduced, not increased by over 100 per cent. This will hardly encourage motorists to switch to public transport; have we forgotten the climate emergency already?

“Stagecoach must think again. It’s disingenuous of them to claim that passenger numbers are down when they themselves cut the service just a few years ago. No wonder it is less attractive to many; however, it is still a vital service for many. This is no way to encourage the essential switch from car to public transport.”

A spokesperson for Stagecoach East Scotland said: “The decision was made to withdraw service 23 as it was under-performing prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and increasing costs mean that this service operates at a significant loss, resulting in us no longer being able to commercially run the service.

“The service runs through four different local authorities, with a choice of different services to replace the 23. This means customers can use different services and operators for the same journey, some of which are of a much higher frequency, allowing them the flexibility to travel more often.

“There is one part of this route which will no longer be served and we are in discussions with the local authority regarding this. “