'˜New bus will help bring visitors to our attractions'

A new bus service to and from Edinburgh could be created to help Bo'ness residents get to the capital and bring visitors to the town's attractions.
Rab Jeffrey with wife Helen, right and volunteer Rhona Lapsley. Picture: Michael GillenRab Jeffrey with wife Helen, right and volunteer Rhona Lapsley. Picture: Michael Gillen
Rab Jeffrey with wife Helen, right and volunteer Rhona Lapsley. Picture: Michael Gillen

Charity group Bo’ness and Area Community Bus Association (BACBA) is proposing to run additional services on top of the only one which runs daily from Bo’ness via Blackness to the city.

The X19 service was cut fuelling anger among residents that transport companies are keeping only profitable routes and chopping the ones that don’t make money, leaving communities like Bo’ness isolated.

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In addition to the cut to the Edinburgh service, which is operated by Prentice Westwood, the town was left out of a cheaper pricing system for weekly and day use by First, while the rest of the Falkirk district benefitted.

BACBA – which was set up by concerned residents following public meetings after a series of service cuts – want to run two services each way during the day to and from Edinburgh with a 17-seater mini bus which will be leased.

The group’s Rab Jeffrey, who is spearheading the campaign with wife Helen, said: “This would help more people get to Edinburgh because the current service only really caters for people working there.

“We also want to attract the retired demographic in Edinburgh to come to Bo’ness to see the likes of Blackness Castle, the Hippodrome, Kinneil Museum or do the John Muir Way here.”

A public meeting to discuss the pilot bus service is taking place in Bo’ness Library on Thursday at 7.30pm.

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