David Mundell MP has written to South West of Scotland Transport Partnership (SWESTRANS) expressing his concern and disappointment at their current ticketing arrangements. Mr Mundell has highlighted in particular the Lockerbie to Dumfries route which is currently operated by both Stagecoach Western (Service 81) and Houstons Coaches (Service 381). At present return tickets purchased on this route are only valid for services run by the bus company the ticket was originally purchased from. There are a select number of subsidised Houstons buses accepting return tickets in the evening, something local residents and Mr Mundell feel adds further confusion. This situation leaves local passengers unable to make the journey that suits them best or leaves them to pay out additional money to get home. The problem first came to light when Mr Mundell was contacted by a local resident, who was surprised when the driver told him his return ticket was not going to be accepted. Mr Mundell is campaigning for a cohesive travel plan for our region that makes the most of the bus service available locally and is encouraging constituents with similar problems to get in touch with him.
Local MP David Mundell commented:
“It is bad enough that local people have to make do with such a poor network of buses but is unacceptable that passengers are unable to use a return ticket on the Dumfries to Lockerbie route on both Stagecoach and Houstons.”
Mr Mundell said:
“It seems ridiculous that you wait so long for buses in Dumfries and Galloway and when two services come along at once people can't use them.”
Mr Mundell has written to SWESTRANS and the bus companies to seek clarification of the issue.
He added:
“This is one of these situations that just needs a bit of common sense to sort it out. I am keen to start a dialogue between the bus companies and SWESTRANS.”