THE end of Scottish Government support for bus operators could see a 10 per cent decrease in Stagecoach services in East Scotland.

The company announced earlier this month that a 15 per cent rise in fares would be implemented in April and has now confirmed that it is in the process of reviewing its network.

Fife Council stepped in to subsidise bus services in November when several West Fife routes were at risk of being withdrawn.

Leader David Ross told the full council meeting on Thursday that officers will be speaking with Stagecoach to find out more about their intentions.

It comes after a letter to local MPs and MSPs warned that the planned ending of the Scottish Government’s Network Support Grant plus could see cuts of up to 10 per cent.

He said: "I understand that Stagecoach have announced that from April 2 they will be implementing a 15 per cent fare rise but they have given no details on if they are going to go ahead with cuts to services."

James Calder, Fife Liberal Democrat deputy leader, commented that the news was "extremely worrying" while "in the middle of a cost of living crisis".

He questioned whether the issue had been raised with Holyrood.

Cllr Ross responded: "We haven't yet taken it up directly with the Scottish Government. There is a discussion between Stagecoach and the Scottish Government and I'm sure there are differences of opinion on each side.

"I'm happy to write to the Scottish Government about our concerns on this."

He added that the council was "not in a position to support" the fare rise and pointed out it had included £760,000 in last month's budget to subsidise bus services.

He said: "Bus companies are commercial bodies. My view is that it would be better run as a public service but we are some way away from that.

"I understand one of the issues that operators are making relates to the concessionary fares, they feel they are not adequately recompensed for the costs in providing these services."

A spokesperson for Stagecoach East Scotland confirmed: "As Scottish Government funding ends on 31st March, we are now in the process of reviewing our network."

Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville was one of those to receive the letter from Stagecoach and confirmed that it did not specify which services could be affected.

She said: "All bus operators who signed up to the Network Support Grant were made fully aware that this was a temporary fund, designed to support them during COVID.

"Indeed, the fund had already been extended twice previously by the Transport Minister.

"Over £220m was provided in emergency funding to support bus services during the pandemic, which highlights their importance to the Scottish Government.

"However, it's clear the support provided must evolve to ensure it is sustainable in the long-term."

She continued: "I'm pleased that Transport Scotland has agreed extra funding to support a marketing campaign, encouraging people to use their local bus services.

"Scotland currently has the most generous concessionary scheme in the UK, with more than a third of the population able to benefit from free bus travel.

"The Scottish Government is also progressing the Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to fares that supports the long-term viability of our public transport system."

Douglas Chapman, MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, called for further discussions at council level to protect bus services.

He said: "The SNP have for years supported bus travel with bus passes for everyone over 60 and recently introduced free bus passes for the under 22s.

"What we need is further discussion at council level to see that local services are protected to ensure that people are encouraged to use their bus passes if applicable and are encouraged out of their cars and on to public transport."