30 June 2006
SPT funds vital bus services
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has stepped in to fund four vital bus services at a cost of over £300,000.
Following recent service withdrawals by private bus operators, members of the Regional Transport Partnership have agreed to invest £327,630 to subsidise four services which would otherwise have been discontinued.
Today, (Friday), Chair of SPT, Councillor Alistair Watson launched the Service 65 which is being operated by First Glasgow and will serve the Glasgow – Hutchesontown – Bridgeton route on a half hourly basis seven days a week from 07.15 until 18.15.
The other services to be funded are:
- Service 35 Harthill – Bellshill which will be operated by Stuart’s Coaches and run hourly from Monday to Saturday from 06.35 to 22.35 and on a Sunday from 08.35 to 22.35.
- Service 13/31A Glasgow – Carmunnock – East Kilbride – Kingsgate which will be operated by First Glasgow every hour from 20.19 to 22.33 from Monday to Saturday and hourly from 10.19 to 22.19 on a Sunday
- Service 89/90 Glasgow Inner Circle which will be operated by First Glasgow and will run on an hourly frequency every evening between around 20.30 and 23.30, reinstating the service which was withdrawn earlier in the year. The daytime First Glasgow Service until 20.30 will continue unchanged.
Services 131 and 89/90 are will begin operating on Sunday (2 July), while Services 65 and 35 will be in operation from Monday (3 July).
Cllr Watson said, "Due to the de-regulation of the bus industry, the sad fact is that private operators can withdraw commercial services at any time and this often leaves people without public transport when they need it most.
"AT SPT, we spend around £4million a year subsidising hundreds of local bus services which we deem to be socially necessary and I am always pleased when we are able to step in and fund services like these four which will benefit many people.
"However, we simply do not have enough money to subsidise every bus service that is axed by a private operator which is why my colleagues and I have already started campaigning for a change in the way the bus industry in Scotland is governed."
For details on bus services throughout Strathclyde call Traveline on 0870 608 2608.
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