More residents should let their voices be heard to profit-focused Stagecoach amid controversial slashes to 'life-line' services, one Ayrshire MSP says.
Katy Clark, Labour MSP for the West of Scotland, slammed the bus company for putting profits ahead of their customers after cutting their X44 service and stripping back their X36 route which connects Ayrshire and Glasgow.
Following major backlash from communities, Stagecoach will now offer a stripped-back X36 service from July Sunday, 17 to Thursday, August 18, with the last bus departing Glasgow at 5.15 pm.
However, MSP Clark believes more pushback from the public is needed to retain the service especially since the Network Support Grant for operators has been extended until October.
Ms Clark has written to Stagecoach and SPT calling for an additional evening run.
She said: “Countless constituents have contacted me in recent weeks to highlight how cutting these services would affect their ability to commute and head back in the evenings.
“However, under the new timetable, which is unlikely to be permanent as Stagecoach still regard the service as unsustainable, many of them won’t even make the last bus home.
“Residents must not let be left isolated simply because their local bus operator is unable to make a profit on a lifeline service.
“I have written to Stagecoach and SPT to explore a path to extending these services and retaining bus runs later into the evening.
“The Scottish Government also urgently need to provide funding and resource so councils can finally set up their own bus networks based upon residents’ needs rather than profit."
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