West Lothian survey reveals people's views on bus services in the area

Hundreds of bus passengers took part in a recent West Lothian survey on services, which raised serious concerns over public transport links in the county.

The key findings of the report showed that a fifth of those asked why they used the bus said it was their only option, and as many said their number one gripe was the frequency of services and the reliability of buses.

The council was given money by Holyrood last year to survey existing and potential passengers as part of a process aimed at improving the core bus network. The idea was to boost public transport use as well as improving the economies of outlying areas by giving residents easier access to work.

In her report to the executive, Nicola Gill, Passenger Transport Manager, said: “The main concerns raised related to reliability and frequency of services.”

The council’s West Lothian Bus Alliance has been awarded £225,750 from Transport Scotland’s Bus Partnership Fund to complete a strategic business case to improve services on 15 routes covering the county.

Many councillors serving rural parts of West Lothian fear that services subsidised by the council are threatened because of budget cuts which the council will have to introduce this year.

The council can only provide subsidies on routes which are not served commercially. It cannot compete directly with commercial operators. And while it only subsidises 20 per cent of services, these are among the most relied on by people in outlying areas, or within towns to provide transport to shops and medical facilities for largely elderly passengers.

The near £2 million annual buses bill supports the subsidised network. The single biggest item is the 31 circular route through Torphichen, which costs £375,000 a year. Subsidy per journey ranges from £1.56 for the Bathgate to Boghall Saturday service to £20.28 for the 449 Bo’ness-Torphichen-Bathgate service.

Commercial operators are struggling to maintain staffing levels and find drivers to cover routes. Cancellations on some services are frequent.

The survey revealed that the largest age group relying on buses – 40 per cent – were aged 45 to 65. The majority of those who answered the survey online said they had no alternative transport they could rely on. Most use buses for access to shops and medical facilities.

Many younger users rely on buses to transport children to and from nursery or school. Almost a quarter of the more than 300 who responded agreed with the statement “services are not frequent enough” while almost a fifth believed that other modes of transport would be faster and more reliable.

Holyrood is actively trying to increase bus use, providing free travel to teenagers. While take up of the free National Entitlement Card has been effective in West Lothian, the idea of taking the bus to work or for leisure is not something many with other options would choose.

The survey results will influence a strategic business appraisal; a report will be brought back to the council executive in March before the final submission to the Scottish Government.