Uncertainty surrounds the future of Elgin bus station following confirmation the St Giles Centre is closing.
Stagecoach leases part of the shopping centre to run its services from Elgin to Aberdeen, Inverness, Lossiemouth and Speyside.
It also uses the building as a base to run its Moray operations from with rest facilities for drivers and other staff during their shift.
Meanwhile, there is also a waiting room for bus station passengers with public toilets available inside the St Giles Centre.
The closure of the shopping centre has thrown into doubt where Stagecoach services will be run from in Elgin.
Search for new home for Elgin bus station
Stagecoach has told The Press and Journal it is in talks with Moray Council about finding an alternative location for its services.
It is understood the transport operator received the same letter as other St Giles Centre tenants informing them they would no longer have access to the building after January 20.
Renovating the bus station and moving it from the shopping centre altogether have been options considered by Moray Council previously.
The sudden closure of the St Giles Centre means an alternative location now needs to be found in less than two weeks.
A spokeswoman for Stagecoach North Scotland said, “We are currently in discussions with the local authority with regard to the future of Elgin bus station.
“We will update customers as soon as a solution is agreed.”
Where could St Giles Centre bus station be moved to?
It is understood there is an agreed emergency procedure for buses to operate when the bus station at the St Giles Centre is inaccessible for whatever reason.
The protocol was last implemented in February last year when police sealed off the area to investigate the death of bus driver Keith Rollinson.
On that occasion, bus departures towards Inverness and Lossiemouth were moved to Tesco and services heading towards Aberdeen and Speyside were moved to outside Elgin Town Hall.
Bus services were only relocated at that time for just one day and it is unlikely either location would be considered suitable as a long-term solution.
Large land available to Moray Council to offer as a more permanent solution includes the Lossie Green car park.
However, the ground does not include any shelter for waiting passengers or toilets for customers and drivers.
Another option could involve negotiating some kind of ongoing access to the bus stances at the St Giles Centre with temporary facilities provided for staff and passengers outside the main building.
Read more from the St Giles Centre
- Footfall fears, sadness, anger at size of unpaid bill: Elgin businesses react to St Giles Centre closureÂ
- St Giles Centre closure: Locals cite ‘scared staff’ and ‘little to no investment’
- No shops, more than two years late and a bankrupt developer: The saga of how the St Giles Centre in Elgin finally opened
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