Nearly 20 services affected as Aberdeenshire Council announces cuts to bus routes

Bus services in Peterhead, Stonehaven, Westhill, Fraserburgh and Banff are among those affected.

By Lottie Hood

March 24 2023, 3:25 pm

The services will be cut from June this year. Image: Aberdeenshire Council.

Nearly 20 bus services funded by Aberdeenshire Council will be pulled in the summer as part of budget cuts.

Funding for 19 routes is being withdrawn from June 12 after a review was held on journeys.

While funding has been cut for 19 services, £3.2 million will be used to support 35 other fixed routes and the council’s A2B dial-a-bus services.

The news comes after Stagecoach and FirstBus both announced an increase in ticket prices from April.

Decisions based on data

Aberdeenshire Council said the decision to halt particular routes is based on real data.

The number of users on a certain service over an agreed period was used to help evaluate which journeys were “no longer viable”.

A sensitivity analysis was also used. This took into consideration the removal of which services would leave a community more vulnerable or “without any connection at all”.

Aberdeenshire Council said the selection of which bus services to cut was based on real data. Image: Kami Thomson/ DCT Media

Bus routes to be withdrawn from June 12

4C Stonehaven Town Service – Sat inter-peak service*
5A Echt to Westhill – Mon-Fri – am and pm peak journeys
6A Westhill to Aberdeen – Sat early morning journey
7A Stonehaven to Aberdeen – Mon-Fri early morning journey
35 Aberdeen to Turriff – Sun evening journey
51 Fraserburgh/New Pitsligo to Ellon – Mon-Fri peak and inter-peak service
61 Hatton to Peterhead via Cruden Bay – Mon-Fri early morning journey
64 Blackdog to Aberdeen – Mon & Thurs – inter-peak service
66/66A Stuartfield to Peterhead – Mon-Fri evening journey
69/69B Peterhead to Fraserburgh via St Fergus – Sat evening journeys
69 St Combs to Fraserburgh – Sat evening return journey
74 Rosehearty to Fraserburgh – Sat evening journeys
81 Peterhead to Boddam – Mon-Fri early morning and evening journey and Sun daytime service
82 Peterhead Town Service (Meethill) – Sat am peak journey
201 Braemar to Ballater – Sun all day service
231 Alford to Huntly – Sat – inter-peak service
270 Fraserburgh to New Pitsligo (Circular) – Sat peak and inter-peak journeys
272 Banff to Fraserburgh – Mon-Fri inter-peak journeys
405 Macduff to Cullen via Sandend – Wed & Fri inter-peak service

*Inter-peak service means between peak times

Realise changes could have ‘detrimental impact’

Ewan Wallace, head of the council’s environment and sustainability service, said the change was due to the local authority facing “significant financial challenges”.

He added: “We have had to identify savings across services and reduce our spend to deliver a balanced budget.

“We do appreciate that any reduction in public transport provision will have a detrimental impact on some residents and communities.

“However, by undertaking this review of our fixed routes bus services which ranked them in terms of performance from best to poorest, it is enabling us to focus on the more sustainable routes and help us to maintain the vast majority of our routes across the council-supported network for the coming year.”