A call for Falkirk Council to look at ways to improve bus services locally was rejected as councillors agreed they could not afford a report into the subject, let alone the cost of making improvements.
At a meeting of Falkirk Council's executive on Tuesday, SNP and Conservative councillors agreed that they had to be pragmatic about the costs at a time when the council is under massive financial pressure.
Previously, councillors from all parties had supported a call from the Labour group when they requested a report into how improvements could be made to Falkirk's "appalling bus services".
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Among the details Labour wanted to see were options for the council of taking control of bus services, following the successful model of Lothian Buses, which are publicly owned.
On Tuesday, a report from council officers revealed that the council does not have the staff to produce the report themselves - and engaging contractors would cost at least £100,000.
But members of the Labour group were unhappy that the report they had called for in October would not be forthcoming.
The group leader, Councillor Anne Hannah, put forward an amendment urging the council to spend the money on a proper report, saying it was vital for many people.
She said she was disappointed that it had taken officers five months to bring back a report saying that the council doesn't have the staff or expertise to write the report in-house, or the funds to commission one.
Cllr Hannah told the meeting that getting "an efficient and affordable" council wide bus service would help the council meet many of the targets it has set itself recently: improving carbon emissions, encouraging active travel, and helping citizens get to work and to health appointments.
Her Labour colleague Siobhan Paterson backed her, saying: "We must recognise that currently Falkirk residents have poor to no bus services.
"The last bus into Bo'ness is nine o'clock at night and as a woman who works shifts, I can see obvious issues with this."
Cllr Paterson said that at a time when the council was closing properties, causing people to travel further to access services, and potentially axing school buses, investing in public transport was vital.
She said: "We should be bettering the bus service, not only for those who rely on it - we should be enabling and encouraging more people onto buses."
But council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, said that Labour's proposals would cost "multi-million pounds" and given the council's financial circumstances, they would not be able to deliver on the results of any report.
"What we can do and what we will do is continue to look to improve our bus services where we can, working with our colleagues in Stirling and Clackmannan to improve bus services across Forth Valley," she said.
"There is work going on with the Connectivity Commission to keep doing that."
Conservative climate change spokesperson James Bundy said that given the council's limited resources, supporting the Labour amendment was "economically reckless".
Independent councillor Robert Spears supported Labour's amendment, but they were outvoted by SNP and Conservative councillors who agreed that the report should not be commissioned.
Councillors also greed that a separate report exploring the use of taxis and private hire cars to provide Demand Responsive Transport should be brought to a future meeting.
