Elderly in Elgin bus-stop protest
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ELGIN campaigners mobilised at an unused bus stop last week to call for the return of an axed service.
Labour MSP David Stewart was there to support around 15 people who turned out for the latest move in their fight to reinstate the 340/341 bus service, the users of which were mainly elderly.
The route became no longer viable for operator Deveron Coaches to run when developer contributions from Scotia Homes and Robertson Homes reached an end.
The scrapping of the popular 28-seater service has left the bus stop next to Bishopmill Primary School surplus to supply. Pensioners gathered there – the bus service sign now blacked out with a bin liner.
Belle Anderson (86) said: "It’s a shame. The bus got people out. I’ve no company now.
"I’ve come out today to tell the Scottish Government we want our bus back. It’s got to be worth a try."
The group, including three people in their nineties, waved cardboard placards as the campaign entered its eighth week.
Another woman said she missed the bus "dreadfully". She added: "I’m 93 so I can’t walk as far as I used to.
"The bus went to all the main points that I needed to get to – the shops, the doctor's, the hospital, even the railway station. We really need it back."
Lead bus campaigner Sara Marsh said she knocked on doors to get pensioners out for the protest.
Mrs Marsh added: "When I ask them how they are doing since the bus stopped they all say "fine" – but the truth is they’re mostly sat at home all day now because they can’t get to the town centre like they used to."
Elgin Community Council wrote to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon requesting a share of a new £500 million Scottish Government fund set up to encourage bus travel. However, it was turned down.
Community council member Douglas Clark said: "We won’t be giving up. We’ll be writing back to the first minister to tell her we understand the current Scottish Government policy is that bus services are operated on a commercial basis, which means operators can decide to cut services if they are not covering their operating costs.
"But we believe that this policy unfairly affects smaller communities and rural areas, and we would like the Scottish Government to recognise that this policy is unsustainable and completely ignores the social and environmental costs that arise when communities lose their limited bus services.
"The 340/341 bus was not simply a means of transport. It was a meeting place, a place where people could check on the welfare of others and that is why the term 'community centre on wheels' was coined."
Mr Stewart said: "I will continue to back these passengers and my discussions with stakeholders, including Moray Council and Stagecoach, are ongoing. The knock-on effect the loss of this bus is going to have on older people’s health through social isolation cannot be calculated."
