VILLAGERS in Kincardine have lashed out at Stagecoach following the bus operator's plans to cut a service to Alloa and Stirling.

Service 8 currently runs between Dunfermline and Stirling but as part of its consultation on timetable changes, Stagecoach wants to withdraw the section between Culross and Stirling.

Stagecoach claim fares collected are “insufficient to cover the cost of operation”, with the busiest section of the route between High Valleyfield and Dunfermline.

Just last week, we told you angry Saline residents had slammed Stagecoach's “short-sighted and callous” plan to axe service 6 between the Saline and Dunfermline, also due to the cost of operation.

More than 100 people attended Stagecoach's consultation event in Kincardine last Tuesday and Councillor Willie Ferguson said villagers would not even have known about the consultation if it wasn't for the Press.

He said: “We have people who have to get to Forth Valley College, the job centre and work in Alloa and Stirling, who rely on service 8.

“This is going to have a massive impact on the West Fife villages but it seems Stagecoach have made their minds up already.”

Resident Alexis Jarvis has now started a petition on change.org against reducing the route and said: “Stagecoach has stated that from August 15 they will be reducing the number 8 bus route between Dunfermline and Stirling so that it only travels between Dunfermline and Culross as the route is not producing a profit and is commercially run.

“This will have a hugely negative impact on residents in Kincardine as the main service to Falkirk has already been withdrawn the previous year.

“Cutting this service will mean residents in Kincardine who do not drive will now be cut off from Alloa and Clackmannanshire.

“Kincardine residents depend on this service to access services in the area such as out of hours GP services and chemists which are open on weekends and bank holidays, to attend job centre appointments, optometrist appointments, to access supermarkets and other retail shops, to attend extra-curricular activities with their children, to attend local colleges and to travel back and forth to paid employment as well maintain relationships with family members living in the area.”

Stagecoach's consultation, launched on June 13, ends tomorrow (Friday). More than 30 routes across West Fife are affected, with changes expected to take place on August 15.

Condemning the proposed reduction in services, Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell said: “The timescale provided means the changes are due to come into force very soon after the consultation process.

“I would be minded to enquire what the process will be following on from the consultation and will public feedback be taken into account, or are these changes set in place anyway.”

He said bus companies should not be allowed to “cherry-pick” profitable services, adding: “I will be meeting with Andrew Jarvis, managing director of Stagecoach, on Friday to discuss the impact these cuts will have on Fife communities.

“Public transport must serve public needs and, for the elderly and those on low incomes in particular, buses can be a lifeline keeping people connected to jobs, education and vital services.

“Any change in services should always consider the social and economic impact on people, especially in more rural areas.”

Douglas Robertson, Stagecoach East Scotland commercial director, said: “The changes we are proposing to make to services in the West Fife area are designed to ensure we can continue to offer the widest bus network possible for as many people as possible with the finite resources available. We appreciate these proposals will cause inconvenience and involve changes for some people. Unfortunately, no change is not an option.

“The reality is that we are faced with a situation where factors outside our control mean there are less passenger journeys and less money to pay the costs of running these bus services.

“Like many households, we have been forced to respond to the difficult economic conditions. 

“The views of local people are also very important to us. That is why we are currently consulting with Fife Council to look at any alternative options.”

The consultation is online at www.stagecoachbus.com.