About Local Bus
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Our bus service was cancelled so we started our own
...By Graeme OgstonBBC Scotland Tayside and Central reporterFaced with the " nightmare" of losing its Local Bus service, residents of a Perthshire village decided to take over the route themselves...
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Our bus service was cancelled so we started our own
By Graeme OgstonBBC Scotland Tayside and Central reporter
Faced with the " nightmare" of losing its Local Bus service, residents of a Perthshire village decided to take over the route themselves.
The 55 Glenfarg to Kinross service was axed earlier this year after its operators Earnside Coaches retired.
But thanks to a group of volunteers and the recruitment of three full-time drivers, The Service is back and proving more popular than ever.
It now runs an hourly daily service Six Days a week, starting at 07:10.
Glenfarg Community Transport Group said the 55 service now enjoys about 300 passenger journeys per week, an increase of 200 on Last Year .
Group chairman Drew Smart said: " Behind those 300 journeys every week, there are 300 stories.
" It's a great bus to be on, the banter, The Number of problems we solve or try to solve.
" It's not about buses, it's really about people. "
Drew said running The Service themselves gives the route a flexibility it did not have in The Past .
He Said : " We've got a few people, because of mobility issues, we don't expect them to come to the Bus Stop , we'll come into The Village and pick them up at The Door .
" When we get into Kinross we'll drop them at The Door of where they're going.
" The drivers are brilliant, they go well above and beyond. "
One of The Passengers , Kareen Macgregor, agrees.
She Said : " I don't drive so it was A Nightmare before. We needed The Service . It's great, everybody loves it. "
David Keith , one of the full-time drivers, said The Passenger numbers have " blown expectations out of the water. "
He Said : " We have our regulars, but we see more and more people coming on who have never used The Service before.
" I love coming into my work and meeting The People , numerous people in The Village say it's transformed their lives. "
The buses run from 07:10 until about 18:00, with The First service connecting to the Ember bus at Kinross Park and Ride.
Fellow driver Geoff Christie said: " People from The Village that work in Edinburgh, Dundee or Perth, they can get to their work by 09:00.
" We've listened to The Villagers and we've put that service on.
" Kinross is also really bad for taxis, so we're providing another service that get people backward and forward - it's provided a social element to a small village. "
Funding for The Service comes largely from Perth and Kinross Council, with additional backers including the Smarter Choices Smarter Places charity fund.
Douglas Fraser , treasurer community bus group: " We also liaised with Glasgow Community Transport who have been a big help to us as well.
" It is a daunting prospect, but if you've got a group of people who are dedicated and can see the benefit in the Long Run , it's well worth doing. "
In addition to the 55 service, 15 volunteer drivers operate the community bus that takes local people to social events and outings.
Douglas said: " That's huge, given we only started Nine Months ago. We've got a lot of enthusiastic people. "
Drew Smart said The Group now had ambitions to expand its service.
He Said : " We do a really good service down to Kinross, and we could really benefit in The Village from having a similar service to Perth.
" The Perth service during The Day is very limited, we could make life a lot easier for people by extending The Service in The Opposite direction. "
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: " We Are pleased that by supporting Glenfarg Community Transport Group, it has empowered them to operate community-led Public Transport solutions in their area.
" The success, to date, of their Service 55 and other Public Transport offers, has highlighted the vital role that Community Transport fulfils in delivering a sustainable transport alternative to The Car . "
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
