Falkirk transport: Community vow to continue fight for 'lifeline' bus service

The Midland Bluebird number 6 route, which links the Falkirk Wheel with Forth Valley Royal Hospital, is being scrapped from August 13. Bus company McGill’s said most of the route will be replaced by an extended number 2 service, which will take passengers directly from Bo’ness to Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

However, residents in Tamfourhill say this will leave them without a vital public transport link.

Several public meetings have been held, the last on July 26, with representatives from the bus firm and Falkirk Council attending.

But both have made their stance clear with McGill’s saying the current route is not financially viable and the council saying it does not have the £130,000 in its coffers needed to subsidise the service.

Camelon, Bantaskin and Tamfourhill Community Council has said that while there was sympathy for the plight of residents at the latest meeting there was no indication of anything changed.

A spokesperson for the community council said the only “ray of hope” came from the three local councillors for the area – Lorna Binnie (SNP), Euan Stainbank (Labour) and Sarah Patrick (Conservative) – offering to treat the issue as an emergency and work together on a motion to be presented to the council’s executive on August 22.

"The motion will set out the ways that even a slimmed down service could work, that would get people to connecting bus stops at the very least,” said the spokesperson.

They added: “The frustration, the anger, the disempowerment, the awful anticipation of what awaits this community of 2000, soon to be 2500-plus people, on its steep and ancient hill, in danger of being cut off from normal life, was palpable in the hall.

"Meanwhile, the community council will wait for the outcome of the council executive on August 22 and work to provide some kind of pandemic-style cover to fill the gap from August 14. If the decision is another big no, then we will need to fight on until Tamfourhill has a sustainable bus service.”

Central Scotland Green MSP Gillian Mackay has called on McGill’s to reconsider their withdrawal, saying the decision is “devastating news” for the community.

She said: “Local bus services are a lifeline that enable communities to access essential services and I have heard from constituents that this route allows them to visit elderly family, commute to education and work, and collect groceries. Tamfourhill is an area with no doctor’s surgery or even a chemist. The most vulnerable in that society simply can’t walk the distance to the closest bus service in Windsor Road.

“We must think of the safety of residents. The removal of this route would mean that the only way to access Tamfourhill, for those without a car, will be by walking through a park with poor lighting. The people of Falkirk rightly expect public transport to be widely available, as well as affordable and intuitive.

“I have written to McGill’s detailing the importance of this route and to ask them to reconsider their decision. I have also written to Falkirk Council to request a meeting to discuss what possible options may be available, and if possible, to explore establishing publicly owned services.”

Replying to the criticism on social media of the decision to change the route, Alex Hornby, McGill’s group managing director, said: “We have liaised well in advance with the council and the community at large. Not shying away from the issue but this route in this case can’t survive without funding to support them given low patronage and accelerating costs.”

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council previously said: “We stress again that this was a bus operator commercial decision on a route that is not subsidised by Falkirk Council. There is no allocated budget to facilitate this route, and our focus must therefore be on our existing subsidised routes across the Falkirk area.”