COUNCIL officers are set to look into the possibility of a bus interchange which would improve services to West Fife villages. 

West Fife and Coastal Villages councillor Mino Manekshaw is calling for such a facility be investigated and lodged a motion with the South West Fife area committee.

The motion stated: “The concept of a bus interchange in the High Valleyfield area, off the A985, would allow a bus operator to provider a smaller bus in support of a localised feeder service to connect with the larger, more frequent and high-speed Express buses along the A985.

“The committee believes that such an interchange offers the possibility of significant improvements to the connectivity of the
West Fife Villages and asks officers to bring forward a report as quickly as possible outlining the major technical issues and the
potential source of funding for the necessary appraisal and business case.”

Cllr Manekshaw said the issue of public transport was a “re-occurring theme” when he attended community council meetings.

“Requirements for bus stops, frequency of services and time-keeping on the services and even the routing of the service – there are a number of anomalies,” he explained.

“There is not a single bus stop from Cairneyhill to Kincardine. Even though it passes people’s houses, they are required to walk down the unlit, country pavements to get down to the bus route going through the lower villages.”

Cllr Manekshaw has met Stagecoach representatives, however, was disappointed with the outcome.

“It became clear that while I might have hoped for an improvement in service level, if anything all the indications were the economic pressures were for them to reduce them unless they could be subsidised,” he told the Press.

“This kind of solution I have suggested means a smaller bus could be based at an interchange and it would go regularly between the various communities, bringing people to the interchange where they could get the express buses going to Kincardine, Alloa or Dunfermline.

“I am hoping they will look into the options and see how much it might cost so we can then take it from there.”

Culross Community Council chairperson Tim Collins welcomed any measure which would improve bus services to the area.

“The situation in Culross is you cannot get a bus westbound out of the village,” he explained.

“All the people who used to go to Alloa, they have to get the bus to Cairneyhill then one westwards to Kincardine from where they usually have to change to get to Alloa. 

“These are elderly people who don’t have their own transport. The other aspect is the young people.

"The job centre they have to attend is in Alloa and they have the same thing to go through. If they get a job to the west of the village, they are cut off.

"We would welcome anything. All councillors have been trying to do something about this. They have been negotiating with Stagecoach but as far as I can make out, they have been coming up against brick walls.”