Easter Ross commuters say they are being “let down time and time again” by a local bus service which does not put on enough transport when cruise liners come to town.
A cruiser with 3,800 tourists docked in Invergordon this morning, with hundreds departing the ship to explore the Highlands.
But as much as locals welcome travellers to the mainland, they are also frustrated by the influx of people using Stagecoach services in the area.
Residents told The Press and Journal that buses are sometimes “too full to pick up locals” meaning many cannot get to work.
At other times, they say buses need to pick up so many passengers that delays of more than an hour can occur.
Even when commuters manage to hop on a bus, they claim these are sometimes so crowded that people end up sitting on the floor.
One local said this “has been happening for years” – but nothing has been done to fix it.
‘Tourists are not the problem’
In Invergordon this morning, one commuter waiting for the bus to Inverness said there are “too many people and not enough buses”.
The 42-year-old, who did not want to be named, said: “During the cruise season there are lots of tourists but not enough bus services. It can get a bit mad.
“Sometimes locals can’t get on the bus because it’s too crowded, so they miss work.
“I’ve also been late to work because there are too many people and not enough buses. There have been times I’ve been one and a half hours late.
“Although some drivers prioritise locals, this has been going on for years -and they’ve done nothing to fix it.”
The frustrated resident says tourists are not the problem, but the lack of bus services provided when they arrive.
He said: “I’m happy for tourists to come and I also want them to have proper services and not to be disappointed with the lack of hospitality.
“Sometimes there are between 30 and 40 people at the High Street bus stop while buses are crowded with people sitting on the floor.”
Extra buses needed when cruise liners dock in Invergordon
A Kildary resident also shared her “frustrations” over the lack of bus services during the cruise season.
Donna Guthrie, who relies on Stagecoach transport for her commute to her work, says she has been “let down time and time again”.
Ms Guthrie travels from Kildary to Alness and typically catches a bus at around 9.30am every morning.
She said: “When the bus picks me up it’s normally five minutes late, which I don’t mind.
“But when we pull into Invergordon when the cruise liners are in, there are always loads of people waiting from the ships.”
“Buses end up being too full to pick local people up or are late because of the influx of passengers being picked up from the cruise ships.
“On one occasion, I asked the driver if I would make it to my destination on time and the driver told me ‘I could forget that as we would be late’.”
The angry commuter continued: “There are a huge number of old aged pensioners who rely on these buses, it’s very frustrating.
“This has been going on for a couple of years, the buses are too full to pick people up as they are prioritising people from the cruise liners.
“People are up in arms – when the cruise liners are in people just don’t go out, as they know they will be late.
“I don’t know why they don’t just put on an extra service when cruise liners are in”.
A spokesperson for Stagecoach North Scotland said they know tourism has “an impact on local communities”.
“Which is why each year we add specific shuttle services for those travelling to Invergordon so that local services are unaffected,” they said.
“However, there are times where those visiting by cruise will use our local services instead of the shuttles provided and we try to plan ahead for this by looking at the ship sizes and weather forecasts as this has an impact on the number of tourists visiting.
“We apologise to our customers for inconvenience caused and understand this can be frustrating, however it is not possible to gauge how many will use the shuttle services we provide each day during peak season.”