A key Stewartry bus service is facing the axe.
The 502 between Castle Douglas and Dumfries is used by people getting to and from work, college and hospital appointments.
But operator Stagecoach West Scotland is planning to cancel the service from next month with plans for an alternative still to be put in place.
And that has sparked concern from Castle Douglas and Crocketford councillors John Young, Pauline Drysdale and Iain Howie.
Councillor Young said: “We don’t know why they have pulled out. I would have imagined this would have been one of their most profitable routes as it is the quickest Castle Douglas to Dumfries route.
“It was well used. It is the main way for students to get to the college and I’ve already had people saying they can’t get their child to Springholm Nursery or make a regular hospital appointment.”
The 502 offers six return journeys between Castle Douglas and Dumfries every day apart from Sunday, when there is one service. It also stops in Springholm and Crocketford.
It also runs between Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright. This section is partly funded by regional transport partnership SWestrans and will be operated by McCalls, rather than Stagecoach, from next month.
But the Dumfries run is not publicly funded and Stagecoach has submitted a cancellation notice to the Traffic Commissioner, which will take effect from August 7.
Councillor Drysdale said: “Whilst we wait for a potential solution to the current transport issues my concerns in particular also lie with residents in Crocketford and surrounds as the alternative buses do not pass through this particular village.
“Where does this leave young people from this area in particular reaching schools and colleges in Dumfries, those attending hospital appointments at the DGRI and others without a vehicle requiring to make onward connections to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Carlisle for example?”
And Councillor Howie added: “At a time when there’s a push to encourage the use of public transport it’s disappointing to say the least that the quickest bus service between Castle Douglas and Dumfries is under threat and I can only hope that another provider will come forward and secure its future.”
SWestrans has contacted other operators to see if they are interested in replacing Stagecoach but none have come forward.
As a result, a tendering process has now begun, which would see a contract awarded with an element of SWestrans support. A council spokeswoman said: “This procurement would include a like for like timetable replacement and a reduced timetable option(s) to determine if there is any affordable route to provide a replacement service.
“Given the time constraints the procurement would be undertaken with a closing date of July 15 after which a decision will be taken on whether or not SWestrans has the funding available to support a replacement.”
“Customers travelling between Castle Douglas and Dumfries will still be able to use Stagecoach West Scotland service 501, while the 502A and 501A will be operated by an alternative operator after August 7.”
