Bus service cut would leave school children stranded

Planned bus cuts between Perth and Stirling would be a disaster for children using the service to get to school, say parents. A petition to halt the cuts has gained over 300 signatures.

Stagecoach is intending to reduce the 15a service running from Perth to Stirling from every hour to every two hours, from 31 October 2022.

The service runs past Dunblane High School and is used by many students of the high school. The proposed changes would make it impossible to use the bus for travelling to school, as well as removing an important service for commuters and people accessing services.

Stagecoach say this is due to staff shortages and challenges in recruiting drivers, and it comes with many more cuts to services across Perth and Fife.

Krissy Scott, who is campaigning to stop the cuts said: “The 15a service is critical to families across the region. This proposal will not only have an educational and economic impact, but a social impact on older people that rely on this service for their rural community relationships. It will also have a huge toll on the environment with more cars on the road, especially around schools which will add to pollution and congestion causing danger to life"

Gavin Thomson, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said: “Transport is our biggest source of climate emissions. We urgently need to invest in our public transport while taking cars off the road. This huge raft of cuts from Stagecoach will take us in the wrong direction.

“Stagecoach needs to work with councils and the Government to address any recruitment issues, and stop these planned bus cuts. If they go ahead, people will be left stranded in Perth and Fife.”