Return of timetabled bus service for Turriff and Cuminestown
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Aberdeenshire Council is introducing a revised A2B bus service in the Turriff area on a trial basis to best accommodate the various transport demands in the area.
The service will be free and is open to all residents.
Changes have been introduced following a review of the existing Turriff Rural A2B dial-a-bus service which the council operates and taking into account the findings of a recent community survey.
One of the main conclusions taken from the survey was that some residents do not find dial-a-bus suitable and prefer a timetabled bus with no need to pre-book.
From March 6, the new Turriff Rural A2B service will include a timetabled service on Mondays and Wednesdays which will operate a fixed route starting at New Byth and operating via Garmond and Cuminestown to Turriff. It will pick up and drop off at bus stops like a standard bus service and there will be no booking system. On Wednesdays a departure leaves Turriff at 5pm to provide customers with a later journey home.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays a dial-a-bus service which must be pre-booked will continue to operate. A guide timetable provides customers with an indication of pick-up times with actual times varying depending on bookings.
Similar to the existing dial-a-bus, the revised service will cover Auchterless, Greeness, Fintry, Fisherie, Crudie, New Byth, Garmond and Cuminestown. The bus will provide door-to-door transport to Turriff from these villages and the surrounding area and must be pre-booked as currently happens.
Details of the timetables, which have been designed to cater for regular journeys made by existing customers as much as possible and potential new customers, can be found online at https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/public-transport/a2b-dial-a-bus/turriff-rural-area/
Ewan Wallace, Head of Sustainability and Environment, explains: “By introducing these changes on a trial basis from March 6, we hope to provide accessible transport for as many people as possible within the communities around Turriff.
"We will monitor the situation closely and will consider making further changes where needed to continually improve the service.”
Meanwhile the A2B door to door service will remain in place available via direct booking.
Work is also ongoing to reinstate the 308 service to Inverurie on a Monday to Friday basis.
Tenders have been put out to contract which would see a Monday to Friday run with one bus daily completing the whole run from Turriff to Inverurie, leaving 9.20am and going via Auchterless, Rothienorman, Daviot and Meikle Wartle arriving at Inverurie at 10.13am and returning at 12.12pm to be back at Turriff at 1.09 pm.
Two early morning runs from Auchterless and Rothienorman to Inverurie are also included as is one evening return at 5.27pm.
