THERE have been several letters of complaint recently to your letters page regarding the reorganisation of the bus services within the Abbeyview/Touch areas, and some people have asked me to submit a letter on their behalf.

But, as a car-user, I only very occasionally make use of public transport.

However, as the money pit that is my current vehicle was in the garage (again), I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to check out the latest changes that have enraged so many people.

Now, I don’t profess to have checked them all out, but I immediately noticed a decrease of two buses per hour coming up and down Skye Road, where I would normally get a bus from.

The D5 used to serve James Street-Woodmill-Touch-Abbeyview-Wedderburn-St Andrews St-James St.

Now it does a circular James St-Woodmill-Touch-Abbeyview-Duncan Crescent-Allan Crescent, then the reverse route back up to James Street, meaning that I now need two buses to visit my GP in Hospital Hill or St Leonards Asda store.

After dropping off my car at my usual garage, I walked back into the town looking to get the D5 back to where I stay, but as one of the new services (1A) turned up, I thought I’d take advantage of it to find out where it went but, as I went to board, I was informed by the driver, “Sorry mate, this bus is going off, as I’m going on the school run.”

This appears to be a common complaint, and always has been.

I remember years ago, when my mother worked on the buses, that there were always designated buses for the school runs.

Now, they’re removed from previously-assigned route times, leaving customers, in all weathers, wondering whether their transport will, or, more likely, not, turn up.

Having enquired regarding availability of timetables for the new 1/1A/2/2A routes, not available by the way, unless you download them, not a facility available to all, but I was able to do it.

Having done so, all 12 pages!, working your way through it would make a cruciverbalist proud.

Once I’ve worked out where to get to, and when, I’ll update you.

Eric Travers,
Gellatly Road,
Dunfermline