LOCAL MP David Mundell is pressing for the retention of the 100 Dumfries-Biggar-Edinburgh bus service.
The MP is also calling for the vital service to be improved and made more reliable.
The Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP recently met Gordon MacLennan, the Chief Executive of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, to discuss the service which stops at Thornhill, Beattock, Moffat, Crawford and Abington en route to Edinburgh.
“I emphasised how important the 100 service is for people from all over my constituency and stressed that they not only wanted the service retained, but improved. Improvements, for example, could come with less stops at Penicuik and the outskirts of Edinburgh, and this would result in reducing journey times,” he explained.
“At our meeting SPT confirmed that they are committed to continuing this cross country service. They also undertook to take note of complaints received after the change of operator late last year.
“I also welcome the fact that they said the opportunity to improve the service would come when it is re-tendered shortly.”
Mr Mundell went on: “This is a vital service for a large part of Southern Scotland, and, for many of my constituents in both Dumfriesshire and Clydesdale, the only way to get to Edinburgh. I will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that at the end of the re-tendering process there is a regular and reliable service.”