A WARNING has been given that parts of Dumfries and Galloway are at risk of being “cut off” as bus routes collapse.
New analysis by Scottish Labour has revealed that the number of bus routes in Scotland has plummeted by 44 per cent between 2006/07 and 2023/24 – a loss of more than 1400 routes nationally.
This week South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has warned that local services were becoming “unusable” as 81 per cent of people in the region reported not using them within the last month, according to the Transport and Travel in Scotland 2023 Transport Scotland report.
In 2019 the Scottish Parliament passed legislation giving local authorities the power to set up franchises and council run bus services, as a result of amendments from Colin Smyth.
But the Scottish Government has now admitted it will be 2025 before they’ve produced the regulations and guidance needed to use the powers on franchising.
Mr Smyth said: “Lifeline bus routes in Dumfries and Galloway have disappeared on the SNP’s watch, with devastating consequences for our area.
“81 per cent of our region’s population reported not using a bus within the last month but I am surprised that number is not higher.
“People are losing their way of getting to work and communities are at risk of being cut off altogether.
“Local services are becoming increasingly unusable.”
But he believes the “spiral of decline” can yet be reversed, saying: “It’s time to deliver a change in direction for our bus network and ensure that communities have the reliable, affordable services they need.”
