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Fears over changes to bus timetable for Lochaber town

Councillor Ben Thompson
Councillor Ben Thompson

Regular bus users in and around Fort William claim a cut in the frequency of services could stop them getting to work on time.

There are also fears that the new timetable – due to be introduced on Monday – will mean some primary school pupils may be late for school or unable to catch a bus home in the evening.

Councillor Ben Thompson, Caol and Mallaig, is urging local people to contact him to let him know of any problems they will face due to the changes.

He would then discuss these with the bus operator Stagecoach, to see if any adjustments could make the new timetable work for more people.

Mr Thompson said: “I have been contacted by a number of people who are unhappy with the changes.

“When you are using a bus for social reasons, it is a nuisance when the service is changed, but when it impacts on people’s jobs and getting children to school it really affects people’s lives.”

He added that he believed Stagecoach should have consulted its customers before submitting the revised schedule to the Traffic Commissioners.

The affected services operate between The Plantation and Upper Achintore, around the town and out to Corpach and Caol.

Mr Thompson said there are currently six buses operating on these routes, but this will be reduced to five.

He said most of the complaints he had received so far were from people who work on Sundays and from the parents of children attending primary schools outside their catchment area.

A spokeswoman for Stagecoach North Scotland said: “These changes see a reduction in frequency of buses serving Corpach to every 30 minutes throughout the day – previously every 15 minutes – and a reduction in Sunday evening services, however, we have maintained frequencies across the local network.

“These changes are due to the level of patronage not supporting the operation, however, we have managed to maintain the daytime service.

“Whilst not totally commercially viable, we felt it was important to maintain a network that serves the majority of passengers thus minimising the impact on the communities.”

She added that the daytime service would continue to allow children to travel to schools in their own catchment area.

Anyone who is affected by the change in service should contact Mr Thompson by email at ben.thompson.cllr@highland.gov.uk