Scottish Conservative MSP Liz Smith has urged Stagecoach to “think carefully” about its plan to cut a rural bus service which runs through Kinross-shire and Fife.
The politician, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, was reacting to the announcement that the 23-bus service will be withdrawn. The timetable for the 23 service was reduced several years ago and Liz Smith feels the local community are being “let down” by Stagecoach taking the service off.
Commenting, Liz Smith said: “There is clearly extremely strong feeling amongst the local communities - the length and breadth of the 23-bus route - and much of that also relates to moves several years ago to downgrade the service.
“It is deeply regrettable that local communities, many of them very rural and already very hard-pressed, are being let down in this way. Local authorities have few resources at this time to step in and help out, so l would repeat my calls and strongly urge Stagecoach to think carefully about its plans.”
Stagecoach has said it plans to withdraw the 23-bus service as it was ‘under-performing’ prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.