Many warnings made about bus situation

CHAOS in the region’s bus service could have been avoided – if Dumfries and Galloway Council chiefs had listened to warnings made several years ago.

That’s the claim made by Councillor Andrew Wood, who served as chairman of regional transport body Swestrans for over three years.

He has accused bus company Stagecoach of “holding a gun to our heads year after year”, demanding more money for public and school bus contracts.

He insisted that it was only a matter of time before the coach company exited the region, and that he had raised the issue on numerous occasions at the highest level.

Following Stagecoach’s withdrawal from providing major services in the region at the beginning of this month, the council and Swestrans have been scrambling to plug service gaps.

With numerous routes not filled and reduced bus services, residents across the community have inundated councillors with complaints – and some have even launched petitions against the newly-configured bus timetables.

Councillor Wood, who served as Swestrans chairman up until the May 2022 elections, said: “I kept telling Transport Ministers that Stagecoach are holding a gun to our heads year after year.

“We told council officers this at the time and warned that we should be buying our own fleet of buses, but senior officers ignored this and no action was taken.

“Stagecoach wanted more money every year. They wouldn’t give us any leeway at all.

“I also felt that we never got the same level of service as other areas like central Scotland.

“For example, we requested that the service covering Stranraer to Carlisle should be a bus with a toilet, but they wouldn’t even budge on that.”

A Stagecoach West Scotland spokesperson said: “We’re disappointed with Councillor Wood’s comments, which do not accurately reflect the facts. Stagecoach West Scotland has operated SWestrans-contracted services for many years, awarded through competitive tendering as best-value bids.

“SWestrans set the routes, timetables and vehicle specifications, which we met in full.

“We agreed two separate 12-month contract extensions at market rates when SWestrans was unable to confirm its network plans. In the latest tender round, we could not agree to an unlimited liability clause, making our bids non-compliant.

“Our teams delivered a quality service for over a decade and we remain committed to Dumfries and Galloway, with key routes continuing from other depots. We will continue working hard to connect local communities safely and reliably.”

A Dumfries and Galloway Council spokesman said: “There’s plenty more work to do and this is not the end point. Officers from the council and SWestrans are fully committed to working in partnership with local bus operators – who have worked round the clock to get the bus network in place by 7 August – to make improvements to the provision of bus services throughout the region.”

A takeover of the regional bus network by Dumfries and Galloway Council may eventually materialise.

The council recently invested £2.66 million in a fleet of 12 new low-emission buses, which takes the number of council ‘DGC Buses’ vehicles to 77, making it one of the largest council-operated bus fleets in Scotland.

Councillors are keen to see the local authority take control of the bus network – if feasible – with support of local bus operators who were recently given lengthy contracts in the new subsidised bus service.

Where no affordable bids were submitted, or where operators were unable to take on commercially run routes, DGC Buses has stepped in as the operator of last resort to ensure that as many key transport routes as possible can be retained.