A Glasgow airport worker has criticised First Bus for stopping the service he was relying on to get to and from work on New Year’s Day.
But the public transport provider said they are short-staffed and hope to bring back the Glasgow Airport Express 500 service - which runs between Glasgow city centre and the airport - at some point in the future.
David McRae-Coles usually gets on the bus from Buchanan Street bus station to his work which takes around 25 minutes. He pays £44 for a monthly staff bus pass.
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He now faces having to pay triple fare taxis to complete his 11-hour shift on New Year’s Day.
The 40-year-old, who lives in Maryhill, told Glasgow Live: “Airport staff still need to get to and from the airport so they are being forced to either rely on friends dropping them off or paying extortionate triple fare taxis.
“The other alternative is being forced to walk to the airport in this stupid weather. It normally does run on New Year’s Day and has never been a problem before but for some reason this year they have decided not to run it.
“With all the flights coming on New Year’s Day, it’s going to force all the passengers coming in to take a taxi. It’s a daft decision and I feel like it’s profit driven.
“People are making treacherous journeys, by foot, to get to work. Nobody could afford to be paying triple or time and a half for taxis at this time of the year, especially with the current climate.
“It’s embarrassing and the bus service has definitely declined. It’s easier to get to Edinburgh airport from Glasgow City Centre than it is to get to Glasgow airport.”
A spokesman for First Bus said: “The service will not operate on New Year’s Day due to the industry wide issue of driver shortages we are continuing to experience.
“Whilst the service will not operate on this occasion, we are hopeful we will be able to restore it in future once our driver numbers have improved.”
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