Leaking bus prompts pollution probe following breakdown in Easter Ross village
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A PROBE into pollution caused by a broken down bus left leaking oil onto the street in the heart of a Ross-shire community has prompted demands to the under-fire operator to step up a gear.
An environmental watchdog confirmed it is investigating following the latest in a string of breakdowns affecting Stagecoach North Scotland and says it "takes reports of pollution seriously".
It's a further blow for the company which has been accused by one councillor, inundated with gripes over no-shows, services running late and breakdowns, of putting profits before passengers.
A passer-by who spotted the stranded double decker on the 25 route linking Inverness and Tain leaking oil on to the street outside the Balconie Inn in Evanton in Easter Ross branded the situation "totally unacceptable" and said it was time the bus operator upped its game.
He said: "I was shocked by what I saw and think it's just not good enough. The leak right on to the street was clear for everyone to see. It's not as if that's a one-off."
A spokesperson for Stagecoach North Scotland said: "Unfortunately one of our vehicles developed a defect while out in service last week resulting in a leak on the road. We arranged to have this vehicle recovered to our depot and followed our standard company procedures including third party reporting.
"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this incident caused to customers on board the bus or to other road users."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency confirmed the incident had been reported to it. She said: "Every day SEPA works to protect and enhance Scotland's environment and takes reports of pollution seriously. We are investigating a report relating to the breakdown of a coach in the Evanton area, liaising with the relevant bodies and will take appropriate action if deemed necessary."
Highlands and Islands Green MSP John Finnie said: "Bus companies must have regard to the age of their fleet and have a replacement scheme in place. Very simply, older buses are often the most polluting and, by virtue of their age, will have higher maintenance requirements.
“Greens are very supportive of the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund and note that, nationally, Stagecoach appear to have received over £4million pounds of grant from that fund. Disappointingly, it appears none of the buses were acquired for operation in the Highlands. I think it's time for Stagecoach to examine the opportunities that may exist to have an greener fleet in the north.”
Passengers blasted the bus giant during an earlier consultation event intended to gather feedback on proposed timetable changes.
Duncan Macpherson, a Highland councillor who sits on the environment, development and infrastructure committee, said then: “Problems on buses are a major issue. I’ve been inundated with complaints about breakdowns, buses being late or not turning up at all and people having to use taxis to get to work. Some of the buses being used are unsuitable on certain routes. I have learned that some of the buses being used on services in Inverness have done more than half-a-million miles. It’s a shambles. They are chasing the money when they should be looking after the customers.”
Stagecoach said at the time it was "aware of some frustrations...regarding reliability of our vehicles" and said additional buses had been sourced from other locations to ensure services are kept to schedule pending maintenance.
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