Findhorn and Kinloss residents hoping for a replacement bus after their service was chopped last month have been dealt a fresh blow as hard-up Moray Council confirmed they don’t have the cash to help.
Stagecoach stopped running their service between the communities in August.
There were proposals for the route to be included in the extension of the m.connect bus service which is run by the local authority.
How much would it cost?
But it would cost £32,000 to include it in phase two of the Moray Growth Deal bus revolution project, and there is no funding available.
At a meeting on Wednesday council leader Kathleen Robertson acknowledged people in the area would be disappointed.
But she gave assurances she and the other Forres councillors were working together to try and resolve the issue.
Could help be at hand for Findhorn bus users?
And Ms Robertson told the meeting early discussions with the Finderne Development Trust have proved positive.
The group has recently launched a community bus service that goes from Logie to Forres and back.
Ms Robertson said: “They are giving no commitments, but they are very willing to have a conversation with the community within Findhorn.
“Hopefully we can progress this … to see if there’s any mileage in bringing the two communities together.”
‘We will do anything to find a way forward’
Conservative councillor for Forres Paul McBain felt it was very difficult for the council to “fill the gap” left when the service was withdrawn.
He said: “I think it’s important our Findhorn, Kinloss and Forres people understand we will do anything we can to ensure we can find a way forward.”
What about the Ministry of Defence?
At a previous meeting it was agreed that Ms Robertson write to Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop outlining issues involved with running rural bus services.
And a letter was also sent to the Ministry of Defence seeking assistance with a temporary service.
A meeting will now take place in October with council representatives and the officer commanding 39 Engineer Regiment, based at Kinloss, to discuss the issue.
Stagecoach axed its route connecting Findhorn and Kinloss with Forres on the grounds it is not commercially viable.
And there is only a morning and evening peak time service between Findhorn and Kinloss with Elgin, instead of an hourly bus between 7am and 5.30pm.
People in the area can still use the existing m.connect on demand service to arrange door-to-door transport.
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