Bus transport in rural areas

Bus transport in rural areas | South Lanarkshire Council

Idea	We need a better bus service in rural areas, for example to travel from Rigside to Coalburn, Lesmahagow, Lanark and Hamilton.
Response	This idea was passed to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) for comment. They advised that the primary driver of local bus services is the commercial bus market, which will provide bus services where it has identified a viable passenger base, and the provision of bus services to any location and via any route is essentially driven by that dynamic. Approximately 90% of all bus services are operated commercially without any involvement from SPT. Please note that throughout Monday to Saturday, Rigside is served by Whitelaw’s Coaches service 259 on a commercial basis and provides links to Lanark. Any matter in relation to this service is solely the preserve of the bus operator and to alter the provision in anyway, such as frequency or areas served, would exclusively be a matter for Whitelaw’s Coaches: https://www.whitelaws.co.uk/contact SPT is charged, budgets permitting, with providing bus links where the commercial market has chosen not to and we do support the delivery of a variety of socially necessary bus services across the South Lanarkshire area, including service 8A/9/39 which offers links via Rigside at times not provided by the private sector, that is Monday to Saturday evenings and Sundays. Details of this provision, currently contracted to Stuarts Coaches, can be viewed at SPT’s website: Service 8A: https://www.spt.co.uk/media/xvbijlsj/service-8_8a_may.pdf Service 9/39: https://www.spt.co.uk/media/b2aktyco/service-9_39_may.pdf Whilst the above mainly only offer links to Lanark, they do allow access to local service and amenities as well as the opportunity for onward travel to further destinations. The necessity to change between public transport links to reach a destination is no doubt less convenient than a direct option, however the need to do so is not unique to Rigside as people in many other areas within the SPT area also find it necessary to interchange for travel to desired location. The desire to do so does not in itself merit the introduction of subsidised provision, particularly given the increasing budgetary constraints which all public bodies such as SPT currently face. SPT does also provide MyBus service R900 in the Three Valleys area, including Rigside, which offers pre-bookable door-to-door transport for service users (subject to registration) and may be a useful option for qualifying residents in the community. Details can be accessed at SPT’s website: https://www.spt.co.uk/media/zmebnci5/service-900-rural-double-fold.pdf To plan a journey using all available public transport modes for travel times, SPT recommend using Traveline Scotland: https://www.travelinescotland.com/ In addition to the above response from SPT, the council have been undertaking a transport appraisal study for the Clydesdale area following Transport Scotland’s Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) process. This appraisal has an objective to assess options for improving transport across the Clydesdale Area and identify a range of transport options to deliver short-medium, and long-term projects. Key recommendations from the appraisal are as follows: 1. In the short-term improved bus services including a Law to Carluke shuttle, Biggar-Lanark-Symington services, Law services, Carstairs-Lanark-New Lanark services and an M74 corridor Bus Hub will be taken forward for further development, as will improvements to Lanark Interchange, including continuing work to the bus interchange and to the park and ride facilities. 2. Enhancements to demand-responsive transport serving, in particular, communities in settlements in southern Clydesdale and rural areas will also form part of further development work. Expansion of the existing park and ride facility at Carstairs rail station to meet estimated future demand and improved bus/rail timetable integration will also be progressed. 3. Continued development of the active travel infrastructure covering Law, Carluke, Braidwood, Biggar, Symington, Carnwath, Carstairs and Lanark will also be a key area that will be taken forward. 4. The potential for new rail stations at Law and Symington and rail services from Lanark to Edinburgh including the provision of a new section of line to allow direct services between Lanark and Carstairs, have also been retained for development, although several barriers remain including the level of demand for such provision in a post covid era. These are therefore expected to be longer-term areas of development. We will look to embed these projects in our wider Local Transport Strategy which will be updated during 2023. The Clydesdale STAG reports can be viewed here: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/ClydesdaleSTAG In terms of current progress, the final STAG Report will require to be commissioned once funding has been found to facilitate this.

Idea

We need a better bus service in rural areas, for example to travel from Rigside to Coalburn, Lesmahagow, Lanark and Hamilton.

Response

This idea was passed to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) for comment.

They advised that the primary driver of local bus services is the commercial bus market, which will provide bus services where it has identified a viable passenger base, and the provision of bus services to any location and via any route is essentially driven by that dynamic. Approximately 90% of all bus services are operated commercially without any involvement from SPT.

Please note that throughout Monday to Saturday, Rigside is served by Whitelaw’s Coaches service 259 on a commercial basis and provides links to Lanark. Any matter in relation to this service is solely the preserve of the bus operator and to alter the provision in anyway, such as frequency or areas served, would exclusively be a matter for Whitelaw’s Coaches: https://www.whitelaws.co.uk/contact

SPT is charged, budgets permitting, with providing bus links where the commercial market has chosen not to and we do support the delivery of a variety of socially necessary bus services across the South Lanarkshire area, including service 8A/9/39 which offers links via Rigside at times not provided by the private sector, that is Monday to Saturday evenings and Sundays. Details of this provision, currently contracted to Stuarts Coaches, can be viewed at SPT’s website:

Service 8A: https://www.spt.co.uk/media/xvbijlsj/service-8_8a_may.pdf

Service 9/39: https://www.spt.co.uk/media/b2aktyco/service-9_39_may.pdf

Whilst the above mainly only offer links to Lanark, they do allow access to local service and amenities as well as the opportunity for onward travel to further destinations. The necessity to change between public transport links to reach a destination is no doubt less convenient than a direct option, however the need to do so is not unique to Rigside as people in many other areas within the SPT area also find it necessary to interchange for travel to desired location. The desire to do so does not in itself merit the introduction of subsidised provision, particularly given the increasing budgetary constraints which all public bodies such as SPT currently face.

SPT does also provide MyBus service R900 in the Three Valleys area, including Rigside, which offers pre-bookable door-to-door transport for service users (subject to registration) and may be a useful option for qualifying residents in the community. Details can be accessed at SPT’s website: https://www.spt.co.uk/media/zmebnci5/service-900-rural-double-fold.pdf

To plan a journey using all available public transport modes for travel times, SPT recommend using Traveline Scotland: https://www.travelinescotland.com/

In addition to the above response from SPT, the council have been undertaking a transport appraisal study for the Clydesdale area following Transport Scotland’s Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) process. This appraisal has an objective to assess options for improving transport across the Clydesdale Area and identify a range of transport options to deliver short-medium, and long-term projects.

Key recommendations from the appraisal are as follows:

1. In the short-term improved bus services including a Law to Carluke shuttle, Biggar-Lanark-Symington services, Law services, Carstairs-Lanark-New Lanark services and an M74 corridor Bus Hub will be taken forward for further development, as will improvements to Lanark Interchange, including continuing work to the bus interchange and to the park and ride facilities.

2. Enhancements to demand-responsive transport serving, in particular, communities in settlements in southern Clydesdale and rural areas will also form part of further development work. Expansion of the existing park and ride facility at Carstairs rail station to meet estimated future demand and improved bus/rail timetable integration will also be progressed.

3. Continued development of the active travel infrastructure covering Law, Carluke, Braidwood, Biggar, Symington, Carnwath, Carstairs and Lanark will also be a key area that will be taken forward.

4. The potential for new rail stations at Law and Symington and rail services from Lanark to Edinburgh including the provision of a new section of line to allow direct services between Lanark and Carstairs, have also been retained for development, although several barriers remain including the level of demand for such provision in a post covid era. These are therefore expected to be longer-term areas of development.

We will look to embed these projects in our wider Local Transport Strategy which will be updated during 2023. The Clydesdale STAG reports can be viewed here: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/ClydesdaleSTAG

In terms of current progress, the final STAG Report will require to be commissioned once funding has been found to facilitate this.