Jamie Greene MSP, Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament for the West region has written to the regional management team of Stagecoach to express concerns about proposals to terminate the No. 27 service (Irvine town centre to Whitehirst Park and Kilwinning).
Mr Greene, who lives just outside Kilwinning, wrote a letter to the regional Managing Director, Tom Bridge, where he was quoted as expressing sympathy for the commercial rationale that the service was indeed a loss making one, but that there didn’t seem to be adequate suggestions for alternative solutions to the people who use it regularly.
In his letter, the local MSP wrote “my job is to ensure that my constituents across the region are well catered for with public transport routes which they are accustomed to and which they in their eyes deem to be a public service.”
Speaking to local press he additionally said, “I believe this service tried to close in the past and a community campaign gave rise to keeping it going. The reality is that the take up of the service has been very low despite a very public campaign to attract users to the service to ensure it maintains itself.
“I completely understand that the operator has to ensure that services across its network are washing their face when it comes to cost but I have raised concern that even if just a few users do use the service on a regular basis, it will affect those without cars the most when it is withdrawn. “
He added “Councillor Cullinane is right to express concerns on this and I support the principle that a public service should be maintained. I have asked Stagecoach to come back with ideas on what can be done to help those who will lose the most if or when this route shuts down.
Concluding on the issue of unprofitable bus services closing he said “ We do need, as a community, to have a wider discussion about how we advertise and attract people to the routes which benefit from the lowest footfall. I don’t want to see a use it or lose model taking place but the long term sustainability of many of these services relies on the community actually taking full advantage of the route. I shall monitor this carefully and if anyone has any concerns please do not hesitate to contact my office.”
