Dear Mr Ramsay,

Thank you for your email highlighting the ongoing petition to reinstate evening local bus services services to Locharbriggs and Heathhall.

I note your intention that this will be submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council, SWestrans and Stagecoach West Scotland and that you request that the matter is discussed at this month’s SWestrans Board meeting.

The agenda and papers for the SWestrans Board meeting had already been issued prior to receipt of your email on Friday 15 Match 2024 and therefore an item on this subject can’t be taken to the Board this month.  However, we do have a bus network item on the agenda and the Lead Officer will highlight that we have been made aware of the ongoing petition, acknowledged our awareness of it and have provided information to allow it to be reported to our next meeting in June.  

I can advise that the local bus services to Locharbriggs and Heathhall are provided on a commercial basis by Stagecoach West Scotland and as such receive no funding from SWestrans or Dumfries and Galloway Council to operate.  This means that all initial decisions on the route including journey frequency are the sole responsibility of Stagecoach and it was their decision to reduce the frequency in 2020.

Therefore, once the petition is submitted it is up to Stagecoach to consider and advise if they intend to reinstate the previously operated commercial journeys. 

SWestrans can only get involved if Stagecoach choose not to reinstate the journeys. If this were the case, SWestrans we would first seek to highlight the opportunity to operate these evening journeys on a commercial basis (i.e without public funding) to other local bus operators.  However, should there be no interest to operate journeys commercially the SWestrans Board can then consider if any action can be taken within the budget we have available.

I trust this is helpful and provides the information you need on the process that will be followed once the petition is submitted.

Regards

John Campbell, SWestrans Chair