MSP Calls for Reinstatement of Gamrie Saturday Bus Service

Following on representations from local residents, Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has called on Aberdeenshire Council to review its decision to cut the 273 Saturday bus service to Gardenstown.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

“This is a community which has already faced months and months of disruption as a consequence of a landslip and the extensive assessment and remedial work which resulted.

“I have been approached on behalf of a number of local residents who have protested that the axing of this service will result in the isolation of vulnerable residents. It will also seriously inconvenience the many tourists and visitors who rent summer properties in the village, for which Saturdays are a common ‘changeover day’.

“It has been reported to me that there had been problems with the reliability of the service even before the landslip, so it is no surprise that passenger numbers may have dropped. That notwithstanding, it remains an essential service for those who are forced to rely on it, and I am told that there had previously been an undertaking to provide a smaller and more reliable vehicle to service the route.

“It is, of course, a matter for local authorities as to how they allocate their budgets, but I feel that there is merit in reviewing this decision and conducting a more meaningful consultation with the local community.”