Hundreds attend Stagecoach cuts meeting in Beith
Stagecoach reps did not attend despite an invitation with many people sharing the harsh reality of bus cuts in North Ayrshire.
Hundreds of people flocked to Beith Community Centre last night to hear the latest updates on cuts to vital lifeline bus services in North Ayrshire, and it appears their may still be hope to save them.
Stagecoach West announced earlier this month the X34 and X36 buses would be axed on July 17, but as revealed in last night’s meeting they now intend to retain a basic service until October 1 due to funding extensions.
The two buses are the most prominent direct link from the Garnock Valley to Glasgow, and it is Beith’s only link to the city and other North Ayrshire towns.
Residents heard from Beith District Community Council members and also from four elected councillors in North Ayrshire about the latest developments.
However, Stagecoach representatives didn't attend despite being invited.
Throughout the course of the meeting, a harsh insight was provided as to how the cuts would devastate and isolate many communities but none more so than Beith.
Drew Young uses the bus every morning to get to work in Partick for 7am. He’s just become a father for the second time and said if the service can’t get him there then he will lose his job and not be able to support his family.
Many accused Stagecoach of not taking people with disabilities into account, with one woman saying she needs it to see family members.
She was reduced to tears when she said: “This is also affecting people in Glasgow. My brother has MS, and my sister lives in Glasgow. He can’t go visit her, so she needs to use these services to visit him.”
Vice-chairman James Waite read out a post from MSP Kenneth Gibson who brought a flicker of hope on saving the services.
Mr Gibson wrote: “After exchanging email correspondence with Stagecoach, Patricia Gibson MP and I met with Fiona Doherty, Managing Director, West Scotland and Sam Greer, Regional Director, both Stagecoach last Friday.
“The SNP Government, facing a 5.2% cut in funding from Westminster this year realised the importance of our bus services and increased the Concessionary Fares and Bus Services budget line from £321.8 million to £413.9 million – a 28.7% increase!
“This is a bigger increase than any other budget line this year. However, the Network Support Grant element of that to support the (many) unprofitable bus routes is due to end on 20 July, prompting Stagecoach to end the X34/X36 service.
“I am pleased to say that Network Support Grant will now be extended to 01 October.
“I would hope by then passenger numbers will have risen considerably through young people using concession passes and older people having the confidence to return to travelling by bus in greater numbers.
“Given this positive move I asked Ms Doherty and Mr Greer if the X34 and X36 services will now be retained.
“I am pleased that Ms Doherty responded to say that while the service remains unviable, they will now seek to retain a basic service and will provide details over the next few days.
“However, it really now is a case of ‘lose it or use it!’
The news was well received by concerned residents at first, but not everyone was convinced that the service would be adequate or saved permanently.
Those on stage were of the belief that Stagecoach will reassess the services viability and asked for more people to use the bus to convince the firm it is still viable.
But many concerned customers are worried the basic service that will be retained won’t provide an accurate figure for stagecoach to assess its use properly.
This is something James Waite also echoed and believes the service won’t be saved unless the company put people before profit.
He told West FM: “I think the devil will be in the detail, and that will be the case when we see what the basic service looks like after July 17.
“Will it be viable for people to use or is it something that will actually reinforces the statistics and the outcome that stagecoach is looking for to say that the service isn’t profitable.
“We heard tonight that buses are regularly three quarters full, and if they are some of the services withdrawn, people may be forced to use other modes of transport to get to places on time during peak hours for work and commuting.
“It might mean that come October 1 it looks like the service is actually being used less.
“We just need to wait and see what a modified timetable from July 17 looks like.”