Stagecoach West Scotland Network Changes July 2022

From 17th July 2022, the following bus services will no longer be operated by Stagecoach West Scotland:

Service X16 Ayr to Kilmarnock 
Service X34/X36 Ardrossan to Glasgow 
Service X28 Cumbernauld to Glasgow 

Timetable changes will be made to the following bus services:

Service 1 Hayhill - Masonhill 
Service 11 Kilmarnock - Ardrossan 
Service X76B Cumnock - Kilmarnock 
Service 58/60/358/360 - Ayr Stranraer 

In addition, Stagecoach West Scotland will no longer operate the following tendered services in Dumfries and Galloway 

Service 221/222 Sanquhar - Kirkconnell 
This service will be operated by Brownrigg's Coaches 

Service 502A Dumfries - Castle Douglas - Kirkcudbright 
This service will be operated by McCalls Coaches 

Service 501A Dumfries - Castle Douglas 
This service will be operated by McCalls Coaches, however Stagecoach West Scotland will continue to operate journeys on Service 501.

In addition, Stagecoach West Scotland will not reinstate the X76 extension between Irvine and Kilmarnock, 29 Cumbernauld and X16 between Kilmarnock and Hamilton, these services have not operated since March 2020. 

Over the past two years of the pandemic, local communities and passengers have benefited from central and local government support for bus services.  This support, combined with the steps we have taken to protect jobs and bus services, has kept bus networks moving and people connected to education, health services, and employment.   

The pandemic has accelerated long-term changes to the local economy and the communities we serve and these have affected travel patterns.  Despite people slowly returning to public transport, there are still fewer people travelling than before the pandemic. As we look to operate our services post-pandemic, we must adjust our networks to reflect these changes.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach West Scotland said: “The new timetable reflects the new travel patterns we have seen coming out of the pandemic, current levels of passenger demand, rising costs, sector-wide recruitment challenges and the need to ensure the most sustainable bus network for the long term.

“We remain absolutely committed to working with Scottish Government and local authority partners, as well as other stakeholders, to deliver the best networks we can for local communities, taking account of the current difficult environment and the changes we have seen in when and how people travel.

"We never take these decisions lightly and we are extremely sensitive to the impact that any changes can have on our local communities. We have carried out a four-week consultation on these changes with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and as part of their obligations, SPT also ensure that any impacted local authorities are aware of the planned changes."

Like many industries, Stagecoach West Scotland has a significant shortage of qualified bus drivers and engineer's post-pandemic.  Although we have had a good response to our recruitment campaigns, it takes approximately 12 weeks to train a driver, this means we still have a shortfall of drivers which has had a significant impact on service delivery around Ayrshire and Cumbernauld.

Costs to bus operators have significantly increased, this means that services which previously struggled to cover their operating costs are now unsustainable.

By making these changes we can ensure that other essential services in the area are continued, we can operate existing services more reliably and better improve the work-life balance of our employees.

Each of us, supporting bus, can be part of a national effort towards a safer, fairer, healthier, greener, stronger Scotland.