A couple devoted to each other for over 60 years may not be able to spend every day together if changes to the Renfrewshire bus timetables go ahead.
McGill’s Buses unveiled plans to scrap the number 22 bus from Paisley to Erskine last month.
For 82-year-old Andy Wilson it means the lifeline route to see his wife Marie at Elderslie care home will be removed.
Family of the pair, who have been married for 63 years, say the planned scrapping of the bus will have devastating consequences for them both.
Their daughter Jani Haylock branded the move a “disgrace”.
She told the Paisley Daily Express: “As a family, we are very concerned regarding the proposed cessation of the no 22 McGill’s bus service.
“This bus service for my father is an absolute lifeline.
“It makes going into Paisley for shopping and particularly banking, attending hospital appointments and most importantly, visiting my mother in Elderslie care home possible.
“My father, who is 82, is disabled and this bus service takes him from outside his front door to outside the care home - it was one of the deciding factors when we had to make a decision as to what care home would be best for all the family’s needs.
“The have now been married 63 years and are devoted to one another.”
Marie, 85, moved into Elderslie care home five years ago.
For the family, the home offered excellent care while being within easy reach of the couple’s home in Whitehaugh.
Now to get to the care home on public transport Andy would need to get the bus to Glasgow Road before waiting – potentially in the rain and the dark – for a connecting bus to Elderslie.
Like others his age, he would not be fit enough to walk to Glasgow Road to get a more direct route.
Having undergone two hip replacements, suffered two heart attacks and now undergoing treatment for skin cancer, the gruelling journey, Jani fears, be too much for her beloved dad.
“The bus link to the hospital is essential for dad’s treatment,” Jani added.
“However it is not only my father who is affected. In the Greenlaw and Whitehaugh area, there is an aged population who are highly dependent on this service.
“Whilst McGill’s may argue that they can catch another one of their buses on Glasgow Road, this is not possible for the very young, the elderly or the disabled – the most vulnerable people in society.
“In a day and age where people are being repeatedly reminded to use public transport, I feel it is a disgrace to remove this excellent service as well as others.”
The number 22 bus is one of several Renfrewshire bus services that will either be scrapped or reduced in frequency when the changes to the McGill’s timetable come into effect on Monday.
It comes just weeks after Scottish Government funding to support transport operators recover from the Covid-19 pandemic ended while costs continue to soar. McGill’s said that, together with the current financial climate, meant cuts were “unavoidable”.
A spokesman said the 21, 23, 26 and 757 routes aimed to address the gaps left by the 22 but accepted the cuts were difficult.
He said: “To retain a good quality service overall for the region we have had to make some very difficult decisions. “We are committed to continue delivering a quality public transport network but we need to adapt to the very real financial pressures in place.”
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