Residents in Moray villages suffering major bus cuts could face a long wait for a new service, despite the council agreeing to step in and help.
Proposals for the next phase of the local authority’s m.connect service to include a bus route connecting Findhorn, Kinloss and Forres on a coastal service have been agreed.
But there is still uncertainty as to whether an interim service can be put in place to bridge the gap between now and its planned rollout in April.
Stagecoach will stop running the service between Findhorn and Forres on Saturday.
That leaves villagers facing an eight-month gap.
However, councillors will now write to the Ministry of Defence seeking assistance from military bosses…
Will there be an interim bus service?
Elgin North councillor Sandy Keith felt there was a “one size fits all” approach to bus service funding in Scotland. And that did not serve Moray.
He suggested writing to Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop outlining issues involved with running rural bus services, which was agreed.
Others asked if the Ministry of Defence had been approached to assist with a service.
There is an army barracks at Kinloss and an RAF station at Lossiemouth.
Head of environmental and commercial services Nicola Moss said there had been dialogue but there was no funding available at the moment.
Councillor for Elgin South Graham Leadbitter suggested Stagecoach should be approached to help out.
He said it would not be an “unreasonable ask” for the bus company to contribute considering the short notice given for withdrawing the service.
There were calls for an interim bus to be put in place and funded by the council to cover the period to April.
But officers advised that any temporary bus would not be in place until October.
Coastal bus route extended
And the council has to find £13 million in the next two financial years to balance the books.
It was agreed letters will be sent to the Ministry of Defence and Stagecoach seeking assistance with a temporary service.
Any response will be considered at meeting in September, when the final decision on the m.connect coastal service route is expected to be agreed.
Stagecoach is axing its route connecting Findhorn and Kinloss with Forres on the grounds it is not commercially viable.
And there will only be a morning and evening peak time service between Findhorn and Kinloss with Elgin, instead of an hourly bus between 7am and 5.30pm.
The original plan for the m.connect coastal bus service was for it to run between Lossiemouth and Findhorn, passing through Hopeman, Burghead, Roseisle and Kinloss.
The new route, expected to be agreed in September, extends it to make Forres as the final destination.
People in the area can still use the existing m.connect demand response service to arrange door-to-door transport.
Stagecoach is still running buses from Elgin via Duffus and Hopeman to Burghead.
New life for former Forres Ladbrokes and next steps for staff accommodation for Seafield Arms Hotel
Conversation