I finally received a reply from McGill’s Midland Bluebird via Martyn Day MSP this morning dated 26th June. The delay in receiving the reply was due to an administrative error which meant it wasn't allocated to my case.
As well as the congestion issues in Edinburgh & Falkirk and the low canal bridge at Linlithgow (which is an inch too low for the new electric buses), they have also stated historically low usage on cross town journeys and as such they have no plans to revise the existing routes of the 38/X38. Meanwhile, communities in the Braes continue to suffer from inadequate transport links to the only major acute hospital in the whole region. Both Falkirk Council & McGill’s are treating hospital access like it's a commercial luxury rather than a basic necessity. If direct links to a hospital aren't commercially viable, then they should be subsidised as they are socially necessary.
Over the last 10-15 years, the state of our local bus services in the Falkirk District has been allowed to deteriorate to a point where people like myself just simply can't rely on it and the council are letting it happen. The issue also stems from the fact that McGill’s (First before September 2022) have total monopoly over the local bus routes in the District so it's not as of we can use another operator.
The Scottish Government have recently introduced a £2 single bus-fare cap in Strathclyde while the Highlands have also done the same, this is something that should be implemented in the whole of Scotland as it would encourage more people to leave their cars at home. At the same time, they also need to provide the actual services to combat the issue of climate change but not providing adequate links to a major Hospital is a step in the wrong direction.
I am now only about 40 signatures away from the 1,000 mark with the next meeting of Polmont Community Council being on Monday 28th September. Please keep signing and sharing to spread the word that access to vital healthcare services must meet the needs of our communities.