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Council contemplates changes to community bus services


By David Porter

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A revised approach to supported bus service delivery will come under scrutiny from councillors next week as the Passenger Transport Network Review Member Officer Working Group (MOWG) announces the results of its "Clean Sheet Review’ of the network.

It is set to propose a revised approach for bus service delivery and a timeline for implementation which would involve the development of a Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) pilot project in Deeside and Inverurie.

Members of the working group have laid out a proposed timeline which will be decided on by members of the infrastructure services committee next Thursday.

Aberdeenshire Council is reviewing its supported bus services.
Aberdeenshire Council is reviewing its supported bus services.

In papers made public this week, it explains that a two year roll-out, subject to the current lockdown restrictions, would start with a public consultation on the proposals, followed by a service trials which would start in August.

Following review of the pilot schemes, the service model would be expanded to other areas in 2022 and run through to 2023 with a service conversion period which would continue to support fixed route town services in major towns where appropriate and mainline corridor service enhancements where necessary

If the pilot projects prove successful it is proposed that a programme of conversion of timetabled feeder services to more comprehensive DRT feeder services be instigated.

Linked to this where appropriate, the council would convert town services (primarily those in smaller towns) to DRT operation through integration of service delivery with the relevant wider catchment area DRT feeder service, retaining timetabled town services in larger towns where deemed best value.

They would also only provide cross-country services where the benefits can be demonstrated to outweigh that achieved through the provision of more intensive DRT feeder services.

They would however continue to provide dial-a-bus services and/or support Community Transport services where specific identified travel needs, for example of the mobility impaired, are not catered for by feeder or town services.


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