Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell has cautiously welcomed a bus company’s partial about turn over controversial route changes.
The X95 Carlisle-Langholm-Edinburgh First Bus run service leaves the A7 and goes via the Hollows and Auchenrivock, but the company had announced this loop would be withdrawn on 29th April.
This move angered local residents, who contacted Mr Mundell saying the proposal could leave locals isolated.
One angry resident told the MP: “The residents of The Hollows, Knittyholm and Claygate rely on this service to carry on with their everyday life including shopping, health appointments and meeting people. Many are elderly and disabled, and one person uses it to get to and from work every day. They did a survey on the use of this bus in February this year. This was one of the worst months of the year so any results must be flawed.”
The MP, who has promised to keep pressure on the operator to retain the full route, added: “I am also concerned that information used to assess passenger numbers may not be based on accurate information based on the system of ticketing in operation on the route.”
But after a storm of protests the bus company have decided not to go-ahead with the full route change and will continue to retain the link to the Hollows, although not Auchenrivock.
Mr Mundell said this week: “I am pleased that First Bus has responded to local concerns and is not going ahead with this full change. I am all too aware that in this rural area public transport is vital since not everyone has access to a car, and therefore this bus link is a very important link to the outside world, especially for older people.”