Calls for more frequent buses in Grangemouth as COVID-19 restrictions ease

One angry service user said: “We need to try and get the frequency of the Grangemouth buses back up now that coronavirus restrictions are easing.

"Unfortunately, the 3 and 4 services are usually busy in the afternoons, and, as such, they are usually almost full by the time they leave Falkirk as the maximum revised capacity is usually only 17 to 19 passengers.

"Unfortunately, the only alternative for most people is taxis which are expensive and therefore not viable for some people.

"So most Portonians have the 3 or 4 service as their only option, as not everyone has a car.”

Graeme Macfarlan, First commercial director (Scotland), responded: “In line with Scottish Government guidance to provide social distancing on public transport, our entire fleet of buses are already out operating to deliver levels of capacity across the network where it’s needed the most.

"We continually monitor the frequency of services 3 and 4 alongside our wider network to make sure the highest capacity vehicles operate on the busiest journeys. Additionally, we’ve introduced a number of journey planning tools to help customers make best use of the available capacity on our network.

"These include live seat availability in real time on the First Bus App, and a web based space checker journey planning tool to help customers identify busy and quieter times of the day.”

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