Petition launched as frustration mounts at reduced bus services

The petition, started on January 29, had acquired 129 signatures by February 4. It opened two days after a meeting of Kilmallie Community Council saw several residents complain to Highland councillors about the negative effects that poor and reduced services were having on their lives, as well as feelings that Lochaber was being overlooked in favour of Inverness.

 

Prominent amongst the complaints was the replacement of the N46/N47 service in July, which reduced connections between Corpach, Fort William and Plantation from every 30 minutes to every hour between 9.30am and 5.30pm.

 

Highland Council has said the change was necessary because the tendered supplier, Shiel Buses, was experiencing timetable unreliability caused by traffic congestion, particularly on the A82. It has maintained that a lack of funding means adding a fourth bus to the route in order to maintain a more frequent schedule is impossible.

 

However, for Janis Strachan, the Corpach resident who started the petition, the notion of cutting buses because they are not hitting scheduled times is counter-productive.

 

“We knew they were having bother keeping the timetable, but to blame that as a reason for stopping the buses? They have effectively made the traffic congestion worse because if people can’t get on the bus, what do they do? They get a taxi, or a friend to run them, or they drive. They should be encouraging people to go on the buses, instead of doing what they did. 

 

“If they actually sorted the roads, which is the main problem, they wouldn’t have this.

 

“For six months, people in Fort William have been struggling to get to work, getting to appointments, a vet, you name it. It’s just a piece of nonsense as far as I’m concerned.”

 

Shiel Buses has said that since reducing the number of services, bus punctuality has risen from 65 per cent to 80 per cent, but is still below the 95 per cent target set by the UK’s Senior Traffic Commissioner.

 

A non-driver, Janis said her own problems were mirrored by other community members, including a company that was letting workers go home early in order to catch buses, and a man in his 90s who had to wait over an hour outside the medical centre.

 

She added that the recent Highland Council ‘fanfare’ announcements of improved bus services in Inverness has left a sour taste.

 

In January the council confirmed the purchase of D&E Coaches and this week opened the new 108 Shopper Bus, with Councillor Ken Gowans, Chairman of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, describing the latter as "another example of us listening to the community".   

 

“I find it absolutely obscene that they’ve done this when they have cut the Corpach bus service,” Janis added.

 

Highland Council has said the new 108 route makes use of existing buses and drivers within its network.

 

In a statement on the discontent, Kilmallie Community Council said council officials were aware at the time of the cuts that they would have a ‘huge impact’ on the community, which was proven correct by the reaction at its January 27 meeting.  

 

The statement said: "There is a clear need for an additional bus to restore the half-hourly service and enable this to run to timetable. Rather than continually cutting bus services, Highland Council need to follow their own draft Local Transport Strategy to ‘improve public or shared transport options that meet different user needs across the Highland geography’. 

 

"The small additional investment required would make a massive difference to some of the most vulnerable in the community who are reliant on the bus, and would be a step towards addressing the transport problems that affect everyone."

 

Fort William, Inverlochy and Torlundy Community Council has publicly expressed similar sentiments, calling current Sunday services "abysmal". 

 

However, a Highland Council spokesperson said funding remained the key problem.

 

“The council received funding from the Scottish Government’s Bus Partnership Fund to develop projects for bus priority in Fort William, which would have alleviated these problems in the longer term. Unfortunately that funding stream was paused in the 2024/25 financial year,” the spokesperson said. 

 

“We will be very keen to improve bus service quality and infrastructure in Fort William if funding permits.”

 

You can find the petition at www.change.org/p/reinstate-frequent-bus-services-in-fort-william-and-surrounding-areas