Falkirk transport: Tamfourhill residents to protest over axing of bus service

Bus company McGill’s has said it made a commercial decision to stop the Midland Bluebird service to Tamfourhill as part of a series of timetable changes, one year after the company bought the operation from First Bus.

But the community are furious that they will be left with no public transport, meaning elderly and disabled people will face a 20 minute walk to the nearest bus stop on Windsor Road.

They now plan to protest on Friday between 11am and noon outside McGill’s depot in Larbert Road, Camelon.

The bus company has been in dialogue with Falkirk Council about support they could provide but council officers have insisted there is no spare cash in the council’s transport budget to support another route.

This week Scottish Canals has said it is “disappointed” at the decision which will affect both their staff and visitors to The Falkirk Wheel.

Tamfourhilll’s three councillors, Lorna Binnie (SNP), Euan Stainbank (Labour) and Sarah Patrick (Cons), all say they want to find a way to support the community, who say the bus service being axed is “a lifeline”.

Councillor Binnie, who organised public meetings to allow people to hear from McGills and Falkirk Council, said the local members are continuing to try to find a solution, meeting regularly with the council’s transport planning department.

She said: “I feel it is crucial we find a solution for the withdrawal of the No 6 bus – all ward councillors are urgently discussing these matters with our transport planning officers who in turn are in communication with McGill’s to come up with an agreeable solution that safeguards the residents of Tamfourhill with some form of public transport”.

Labour councillor Euan Stainbank agreed that the three councillors have “a collective desire to work together” and he hopes that they will be able to get a result for residents.

He said it is important to note that the community, is not demanding a complete reinstatement of the service and would be happy to look at all of the option.

Falkirk Labour councillors have previously pressed the council to look at bringing public transport under council control and Mr Stainbank says this is a perfect example of why they want that to happen.

He and his party colleagues would like to see the Scottish Government provide some cash to back up their commitment to council-owned bus services, run along similar lines to the very successful Lothian Buses.

But while he thinks the bigger picture means that all local bus services should be run for the communities’ benefit rather than profits, he hopes they can find an immediate solution that will help the elderly and those with mobility issues.

He said: “Tamfourhill has one shop, it has one community hub – that’s it. People need to go to Falkirk for their shopping and other services.

“It’s not too far if you are young and fit but for many people it simply isn’t feasible, especially during the winter months when the hill is treacherous.”

The service cancellation will not just affect the local community – it will also be a major blow for one of district’s most iconic tourist attractions, the Falkirk Wheel.

Ross McMillan, head of destinations at Scottish Canals said: “We are disappointed to learn of the plans which would see the cancellation of the Midland Bluebird number 6 service.

“A few of our staff based at The Falkirk Wheel are directly affected by this. We always encourage our visitors and staff, to leave their cars and travel to The Wheel by bike, boat or public transport where possible, and services, like the Midland Blue, provide a role within this.

“We are however, aware of the many tough decisions being made across the country when it comes to delivering best value for public services and we are keen to see what options could be explored to help with this.”