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Bo'ness community bus route C19 withdrawal

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robertclark125

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Back in 2017, Bo'ness community bus was started, by the local community, to address the lack of direct buses from Bo'ness and Blackness, into Edinburgh. The Bo'ness community bus was born, and it started route C19, which terminated in Edinburgh, at Waterloo Place, rather than the bus station. Not an issue, as I understand some First bus services do so as well. The service used some Ford Transits, and they expanded to a second service, F47, linking Bo'ness to Linlithgow via Blackness.

The service has had some problems in 2021, due to vehicle problems, a lack of drivers, and some drop in passengers, and perhaps also that Citylink route 909 now serves Bo'ness as well. With all this, the C19 is ending on 2nd January. The full closure announcement is detailed below, as well as the link.

It was a good idea at the time, but obviously Covid had something to do with it. Can such a service work in future? I'd say yes, somewhere else possibly, but the people who demand such a service need to also then use it.

Cessation of the Bo'ness - Edinburgh Services (C19) with effect from 2 Jan 2022 - Bo'ness Community Bus SCIO (bonesscommunitybus.scot)

Cessation of the Bo’ness – Edinburgh Services (C19) with effect from 2 Jan 2022​

Posted 20TH DECEMBER 2021
Dear passengers & supporters of Bo’ness Community Bus Charity
2021 has been a challenging year for us at BCB.
We have seen reduced numbers of passengers on all our routes due to the changing work patterns of employees as a result of Covid-19.
We have lost some of our drivers as they have gone off to explore other opportunities and with the national shortage of drivers, we have found it very difficult to recruit new drivers.
Our vehicles have also had a number of mechanical issues.
All of these challenges have necessitated the Trustees to have a deep look at our operations, conduct a review of our charity and map out a way forward.
To this end, it is with deep regret that, we have applied, and have received approval, to cease our C19 service between Bo’ness – Edinburgh, with effect from 2 Jan 2022.

This decision was not an easy one for the Trustees, but with significantly reduced revenue due to reduction in passenger numbers and limited drivers, we have no choice.
We are aware that this will be very disappointing for all our passengers who have been very loyal to us over the years.

For any passenger who has purchased a multi-journey ticket on the C19, and still have journeys left to complete, please contact [email protected] and we will arrange a refund of the remaining journeys.

We would also like to direct you to the Citylink service 909, which serves Bo’ness.
CityLink Timetable
Their return fare to Edinburgh is £8.00.
 
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Tom Gallacher

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Back in 2017, Bo'ness community bus was started, by the local community, to address the lack of direct buses from Bo'ness and Blackness, into Edinburgh. The Bo'ness community bus was born, and it started route C19, which terminated in Edinburgh, at Waterloo Place, rather than the bus station. Not an issue, as I understand some First bus services do so as well. The service used some Ford Transits, and they expanded to a second service, F47, linking Bo'ness to Linlithgow via Blackness.

The service has had some problems in 2021, due to vehicle problems, a lack of drivers, and some drop in passengers, and perhaps also that Citylink route 909 now serves Bo'ness as well. With all this, the C19 is ending on 2nd January. The full closure announcement is detailed below, as well as the link.

It was a good idea at the time, but obviously Covid had something to do with it. Can such a service work in future? I'd say yes, somewhere else possibly, but the people who demand such a service need to also then use it.

Cessation of the Bo'ness - Edinburgh Services (C19) with effect from 2 Jan 2022 - Bo'ness Community Bus SCIO (bonesscommunitybus.scot)
Your last sentence says it all. What people think is a good idea and what they are prepared to actually use and pay for is miles apart. It's a bit like when a High St landmark shop closes. The tv do a news item with interviews from shoppers who bemoan its departure but if you ask them if the shop there then they say "no, not for years"
 

tbtc

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There are a number of places along the Forth with no train station (or no train service to Edinburgh, at least) - Bo'Ness, Grangemouth, Alloa, Stirling University and also a reasonable population south of Stirling who are inconveniently sited for a railway that doesn't have a station in between Larbert and Stirling

Midland Scottish used to run the X18 and X19 from Clackmannanshire to Glasgow/Edinburgh respectively (serving Dollar/ Tillicoutry etc, connecting at Alloa)

The X18 served places like Bonnybridge on it's way to Glasgow but didn't last so long - the X19 survived into the First era (albeit being cut back to starting at Grangemouth) before becoming broadly replaced by the CityLink 909

A shame, as thirty years ago the Midland "express" network was broadly comparable to the Fife "express" network (i.e. pre-Stagecoach) - Midland found a niche of places unserved by rail but close enough to the M9/M80/M876 for a coach to provide a fast enough journey time

I feel that, if Stagecoach operated the old Midland Scottish, they'd have found a way of running something fairly regular along this kind of corridor, given the way that their Express services in Fife have provided the likes of Anstruther/ Kennoway/ Kelty with fairly fast journeys into Edinburgh every hour

Stagecoach can sustain a fifteen minute service from Kincardine to Glasgow, so maybe there's an alternative universe where they also ran the old Midland Scottish routes and there was a half hourly Kincardine to Edinburgh service with services starting back at Stirling University/ Dollar (maybe a token Sunday extension to Callander)?

But the CityLink 909 is probably the best that the corridor can sustain, since First don't seem interested in operating these kind of routes directly (and it's out of Stagecoach territory, so they aren't likely to launch a speculative service) - it's a mess of trying to tick lots of different boxes (serving Whins of Milton twice, but also diverting into Edinburgh Airport, Bo'Ness, Grangemouth, a longwinded way of getting from Cumbernauld to Edinburgh), but I don't know that you can do much more, given that

(a) First haven't been interested in "coach" services in eastern Scotland for many years (you can blame the improved trains for killing off the X14 from Bathgate to Glasgow but there's no such excuse for Bo'Ness/ Grangemouth)
(b) a good coach service really needs integration with/promotion from the local bus operator (e.g. the way that Stagecoach have replaced some "local" Fife route with expresses from Glasgow/ Edinburgh - express services advertised on board local buses)

Credit to BCB for trying though - it's a shame that it hasn't worked for them - as big operators retrench, it's a shame that there aren't more success stories of local communities filling the gaps that are left behind
 

Observer

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For something running fine for a few years it seems like it just all fell apart the last few months with drivers walking out and the buses breaking down. Obviously coronavirus hasn't helped at all either.

No doubt a public inquiry for them at some point in the new year. Check their license and you'll see they don't have a Transport Manager either which is probably why there have been more issues.

Financial issues seem to certainly have been an issue too. Especially if you run their license number under this search and you'll see they kept on increasing their license authorisation (for potential future work maybe) and that means more money having to be kept in the bank to keep financial standing. They only needed three licensed. This probably hasn't helped either.

Financial standing information: https://www.route-one.net/compliance/2021-financial-standing-level-revised-downwards-by-tcs/
Rates that came into effect on 1 January are now £8,000 for the first vehicle and £4,500 for each additional vehicle for those operators.

The most baffling thing is their remaining service is a council contract which they've been dropping journeys too and the council haven't seen fit to replace them altogether and retender it.

Almost like they've turned a blind eye to it. Any other company would get a proper bus on the run anyway, not a step entry slam door thing which no doubt put people off from both of them!

You can simply check their Facebook page for all the problems they've had over the months. You can feel sorry for them but they really should have pulled it months ago if the trouble wasn't going to resolve itself.
 
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overthewater

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When Citylink returned to Bo'ness with the 909, I think it was only a matter of time before this would happen. With F49 the council must be saving a fortune using them for the contract.
 

route101

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Interesting, always wondered how this service fared. I seen one yesterday.

The 909 is odd as I think the Glasgow to Stirling section are essentially placement journeys.
 

danielwilkie

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Citylink M8 Glasgow to Dundee was an hourly service cut back to two hourly, replaced by short M8 workings to Stirling.

The 909 service then replaced the short working service by extending to Glasgow via Cumbernauld and Stirling giving a through service. It was more done for driver reliefs more than anything else to save drivers having to travel to Edinburgh as a passenger.
 

tbtc

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The 909 is odd as I think the Glasgow to Stirling section are essentially placement journeys.

It's a funny one - quite a long way for placing journeys, considering pretty much every journey runs through to Glasgow - I could see the logic in running Edinburgh - Airport - Bo'Ness - Grangemouth - Forth Valley Hospital - Cumbernauld - Glasgow (since it wouldn't be too much of a time penalty for journeys like Bo'Ness to Glasgow or Cumbernauld to Edinburgh) - I could see the logic in serving other places in Stirlingshire on most journeys (rather than just central Stirling) - but going all the way via central Stirling is quite the time penalty for some journeys and doesn't offer much that the train doesn't (unlike serving towns in Clackmananshire or Stirling University or Callandar , maybe even occasionally Blair Drummond at weekends)

I guess the western half of the 909 allowed CityLink to speed up their services from Glasgow to Perth/ Dundee/ Aberdeen/ Inverness (by cutting Stirling) but the First X36 does Glasgow - Cumbernauld - Whins of Milton - Stirling (albeit a slower route via Denny), and there's a half hourly EMU from Queen Street to Stirling, so I don't know what the 909 offers on that section
 

GusB

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We're not discussing Citylink services here - please remain on topic. Thanks
 
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