Stagecoach announces review of North Scotland operations

• Employees being consulted on future options for the business including the potential closure of Stonehaven and Insch depots
• Company working closely with trade union to minimise the potential impact on staff 

Stagecoach today (13 June) revealed it is carrying out a review of its operations in North Scotland. The company has been unable to cover the cost of running its local network due to a combination of tender losses, reduced passenger demand and higher costs, and the situation is no longer sustainable.

The operator has met with staff and trade union representatives and has launched a consultation with employees over future options for the business including the potential closure of its Stonehaven and Insch depots with some of the engineering functions at Elgin depot moving to Inverness.  

The service changes in Bluebird will result in discussions with various Local Authorities within the operation in particular Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray Council.  Services within the Highland Council area will not be changing other than those Bluebird Services serving the A96 and the operator hopes will result in minimal changes for customers. 

The company said that, along with the local authority, it would keep customers updated on developments as the review process continues. They say they are also working closely with the trade unions through a period of consultation and hope to be able to mitigate the number of redundancies. 

Employees at the site will be able to discuss their preferences with the management team and the company will be working hard to accommodate these over the coming weeks.

David Beaton, Managing Director for Stagecoach North Scotland said: "We are a significant local employer and we understand the importance of bus services for the local community. We also know that any change can be unsettling for our people. That's why we are working closely with both the trade union to protect as many jobs and as much of the local bus services as possible.

"We're carrying out a consultation and will be working closely with staff during this process, however the reality is that we simply cannot sustain the current operation."

A full breakdown of services changes are as follows:

From 19th August 2024, the following bus services will no longer be operated by Stagecoach North Scotland:
Services 21A, 22A, 22B 
Service 4 
Service 8A, 8C 
Service 41
Service 422
Service 221 

From 19th August 2024, the following bus services will be withdrawn but customers will be able to use alternative services: 

Service 37 will be replaced by Service 9.
Service 32 will remain between Elgin and Burghead. 
Service 203 will be replaced by Service 201/202 extensions. 
Service 74 will be covered by Service 69 extension. 
Service 78 A/C will be covered by Service 76/77. 
X65 will be covered by Service X62.
Service M98 will be withdrawn between Keith and Buckie.

From 19th August 2024, the following services will be subject to timetable changes: 

Service 59
Service 5,6 
Service 8, 8A, X8 
Service 7B 
Service X9 
Service 9, 10C 
Service 107 
Service 201, 202
Service 231
Service 727 
Service X60, 61, X63 
Service 66 
Service X67, X68, 68 
Service 69, 69A 
Service 76, 77 
Service 81 
Service 83 
Service 84A, 84C 
Service 270 
Service 290/291, 292 
Service 10, 10A 
Service 33A 
Service 35 
Service 38 
Service 301 
Service 218
Service 220/X20
M96

A new Service 12 will be introduced to replace Service 35 between Elgin and Inverness.  The new service will connect the Forres housing estate providing direct links to both Inverness and Elgin. 

Other changes include improvements to frequency and routes to better meet the needs of our customers throughout our network.

View revised timetables