WATCH: Leading councillor Ian Brown slams 'disgraceful' Stagecoach bus services people ‘can’t rely on’
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A HIGHLAND Council leader has branded local bus services absolutely disgraceful as people deal with daily lists of cancellations and disruptions.
Stagecoach has been using social media to share information about dozens of services that are either unable to operate or may be delayed due to its ongoing shortage of drivers.
Some passengers have had enough after missing appointments and being late for work.
The council’s Inverness area leader Ian Brown, said the management of the service by Stagecoach Highland is “very disappointing”.
Problems have also been noted in Ross-shire.
“It’s absolutely disgraceful, people can’t rely on buses,” he said.
“My concern is that by the time Stagecoach Highland recruits enough drivers, customers will go somewhere else, they will make other arrangements.
“We had a meeting with Stagecoach, and unfortunately it is due to the lack of drivers, but it takes three months to train new drivers.
“Hopefully by next month we should see improvements.
“Stagecoach don’t know in the morning what buses they can run, it depends who turns up in the morning – which is a terrible way to run a business.
“It’s no way to treat their customers.”
In late June, local authorities were given further powers to run local bus services by the Scottish Government through Section 34 of the Transport (Scotland) Act, which aims to enhance the ability of councils in Scotland to respond to transport challenges within their areas.
Councillor Brown said that the option is on the table, however the technical struggle of finding drivers would still be a hurdle to run the bus service.
Inverness West councillor Alex Graham said: “There is a very serious public dissatisfaction at the moment.
“In my area, particularly service 2 and 3 see at least 20 services cancelled daily.
“People are often late for work and missing important appointments.
“This is a real difficult for many people working at Raigmore Hospital who are not able to rely on the buses.
“Inverness is growing as a city and in population, it needs reliable public transport.”
One Raigmore employee, Moira Phaup, who lives in Kinmylies, said the situation has worsened, and she is often forced to walk to work, a round trip of more than six miles.
This is taking a toll on her mental health, and the issue is forcing her to try and find a way to work from home before winter conditions and icy paths kick in.
She said: “I have walked to and from work so many times now, I feel like I pay Stagecoach for a gym membership.
“I feel so bad for the old people who can’t walk anywhere and have to wait for a bus for hours.
“This can’t continue this way, something needs to be done.”
It is understood at least 18 new drivers for Inverness, Tain and Aviemore have joined the Stagecoach team since the start of June, and a further five were progressing through their training.
A spokeswoman for the firm said: “We are making good progress with recruitment, with a number of new drivers currently moving through the training school.
“It’s vital to take the time to ensure all new drivers reach the high level of professional standards we expect.
“Once they’ve completed their training, these new drivers will be out on the road in the coming weeks. To apply for one of our vacancies, please visit stagecoachbus.com”
In terms of communication with passengers, she added: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused to Inverness passengers.
“In order to improve our customer communications around journey disruption we have now put a dedicated resource in place in our depot from 4am each day.
“This will enhance consistency across communication channels, including our Twitter (@StagecoachHLand) and digital screens in bus shelters within the city.”
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