Murdo has asked the managing director of Stagecoach East Scotland to ‘think again’ on plans to reduce the bus service in the Carse of Gowrie.
He was reacting to the proposal by Stagecoach to make changes to the existing 16 service connecting the villages in the Carse, and also, changes to the X7 service which runs between Perth Royal Infirmary and Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.
Murdo and Carse of Gowrie Scottish Conservative Councillor, Angus Forbes, have written a joint letter to Douglas Robertson, the managing director of Stagecoach East Scotland, to raise their concerns about the matter.
Commenting, Murdo said: “We believe that these changes will have a seriously detrimental impact on the lives of our constituents who rely upon a regular bus service. The number 16 service could easily be described as a lifeline, as the only bus that connects the villages of the Carse and smaller rural settlements. It is also the bus that serves the only GP centre in the Carse of Gowrie.
“With the proposed closure of the number 16 service during the day, this will mean that local residents without access to private transport will effectively be cut off from GP appointments. There will be a similar issue for Invergowrie residents who lost their GP practice last year and will have significant difficulties in accessing their new practice in Ancrum Road, Dundee. Local residents are rightly worried about these plans and we then decided to take the decision to write to the Managing Director of Stagecoach East Scotland to outline our concerns about the issue.
“We are asking to meet Mr Robertson to outline our concerns in more detail and ask Stagecoach to think again on this plan.”
