It’s fair to say that my sub-par experience using buses in Inverness was not a one-off.
In last week’s Press and Journal, I documented my trip from Culloden to the city centre, using Stagecoach’s number three service.
The first bus I waited for didn’t turn up. And when I eventually got on the number three, it was a 42-minute journey that set me back £5.70.
Clearly, that experience struck a chord with some people.
The story was viewed more than 13,000 times and hundreds of comments about the Highland capital’s buses have been made as a result.
I asked for some feedback from people about their own experiences.
In short, a lot of people aren’t happy.
Here’s what they said.
Bus users paint grim picture of Inverness service
One thing is certain: there is a lot of sympathy for the bus drivers out there.
Hardly anyone has a bad word to say about them because they know how much pressure they are under.
And as our recent story about a shock survey revealing how many of them are being threatened on a regular basis shows, they need our support.
Lorna Macleod said: “[I’m] sympathetic towards the bus drivers.
“They’re only doing their jobs. But I’ve almost lost my job due to constantly being late due to the bus service in inverness.
“Like cancellations from 10am till 4pm? Come on.”
That was far from the only complaint.
Pawel Grenda said his fiancee buys a weekly ticket costing £31 and is regularly late for work because of service delays.
He added: “[It’s] worse than people say.
“Spend £125 on tickets and not be sure you’ll get to work on time, it’s disappointing.”
Kevin McKenzie added: “I lived in Inverness until 2023 and the buses were terrible on 2/3 route.
“I was forever waiting on a bus that would be cancelled two minutes before it was due on the app.”
You get the idea.
But there’s more here, here and here if you’re after any more examples and don’t mind the odd expletive.
What can we do to improve the bus service in Inverness?
Stagecoach responded to my previous story with an apology to customers who’d been affected by recent delays.
A spokeswoman for the firm said it expected things to improve in the near future.
Since that statement was issued, services in Inverness have been hammered by a huge number of cancellations.
Stagecoach is hopeful that things will be helped by a number of new drivers currently going through their training.
Today, they said they “continuously review” their services “based on passenger feedback”, which they “always welcome”.
The spokesperson added that they’d like to meet local politicians to discuss improvements.
They added: “We have an influx of new drivers currently in the process of training who will help bolster our services in the Highlands and across Scotland.”
But customers are sceptical they’ll see improvements anytime soon.
So what can people in Inverness do to help the situation?
It’s a lifeline service, so voting with their feet isn’t really an option.
Well, they can complain about it. And according to some of our local MSPs, that’s already happening on a regular basis.
Highland Conservative MSP Edward Mountain wants the Scottish Government to intervene.
He said: “I am contacted weekly by constituents highlighting the dire state of buses in the Highlands, especially in Inverness.
“As convenor of the net zero, energy and transport committee in the parliament, I recognise that the unreliability of public transport in Scotland is more than just an inconvenience. As we manoeuvre towards net zero, we should be making sure these services turn up and run on time.
“Currently, people are left stranded, or having to drive, because they do not feel they can rely on the infrastructure.”
‘It is absolutely a priority to get people using public transport’
Highland SNP MSP Emma Roddick painted a similar picture, saying that the services she uses in Edinburgh are superior to the ones in Inverness.
She hopes more publicly-run services, like the ones recently rolled out by Highland Council, will help fix the problems in the city.
Miss Roddick said: “Whenever I’m working in the parliament, I use Lothian Buses.
“The difference between the experience there and the number 3 that I usually get in Inverness is huge.
“We need transport that is run in the best interests of users. It is absolutely a priority to get people using public transport and active travel where possible, in terms of climate concerns as well as for health and wellbeing and reducing pollution and congestion in the city centre.”
What do you think of public transport in Inverness? Send an email to stuart.findlay@pressandjournal.co.uk to let me know.
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