Hi folks

As promised I asked Houston’s Coaches and Mini buses to add a 10pm bus to Locharbriggs and Heathhall as they added one to Lochside under pressure from their local Coincillors and Swestrans.

Their reply is below. I did point out that a 10pm bus would only replace the previous services at 9, 940, 1020, 11, and 1140 (and 1210 am at weekends). I asked to at least give it a try. They have refused this even, despite me pointing out that we are a mile further out than Lochside and have a much bigger combined population.

I will be sending an update to the Courier and Standard next week on the current situation but once more it seems we are being treated like second class citizens. Lack of support from our Councillors except Linda Dorward may well be a factor. Not only do we not have an evening bus service but we do not have a supermarket, a cafe, or a Community Council in the case of Locharbriggs. We do have some things though: a monstrous and dangerous old factory emitting dust and probably asbestos, speeding half wits belting up and down the walkway, and  new shitty and often tiny buses often packed to the gills with prams, wheelchairs, and disabled people’s assists.

Anyway here is the patronising and callous reply:

Afternoon Mr. Ramsay,
Thank you for getting in touch regarding the evening bus services for Locharbriggs and Heathhall. I also wish to acknowledge and apologise if your previous email did not receive a reply.
We appreciate the points you have raised in comparing the current provision for Lochside with Locharbriggs and Heathhall. However, evening bus timetables are determined by a number of factors, including passenger demand, route viability, and the availability of funding.
The decision to provide a 10 pm service to Lochside was based on clear evidence of demand and usage levels which justified the additional cost of operation. Unfortunately, the previous passenger data for Locharbriggs and Heathhall before the service was reduced by Stagecoach does not demonstrate a comparable level of demand at that time of night. I do understand that the area is always expanding due to the amount of new houses being built. Introducing an additional evening service would require significant resources, and at present this is not a service we would be able to provide given budget constraints and competing priorities across the region.
While we understand this may be disappointing, our responsibility is to allocate services in a way that achieves the greatest benefit within available resources. We will, of course, continue to monitor passenger feedback, and your comments will be retained for consideration in any future service reviews.
Thank you again for writing to us and for representing your community’s views.

Kind Regards
Craig McGill

Operations Manager

Unit 1, Broomhouses 1 Ind. Estate

Lockerbie, DG11 2RZ