WATCH: Protesters gathered in front of the Highland Council's headquarters in Inverness this morning to call for better bus services after an increase in cancellations and delays in Stagecoach bus services
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PROTESTERS gathered in front of the Highland Council's headquarters this morning to demand action for what they say it's a very unreliable bus services in the city.
A group of bus users was in front of the premises on Glenurquhart Road in Inverness in the morning to ask for their intervention in the delivery of local bus services by Stagecoach Highland.
Following the return of bus users after Covid, services by the local bus provider have been regularly disrupted as the operator is struggling to recruit new bus drivers.
The group of protesters called for a vital improvement in communication as well as for more reliable timetables, especially for services connecting Raigmore Hospital to Craig Dunain and other areas of the city.
One of the people attending the protest, John Harwell, said that he tried several times to get in touch with the local representatives, but was never successful.
"It's frustrating," he said. "I don't understand why I can't get in touch with the service in the Inverness area – this is where we live, but we can't talk to them. The last time I had a complaint I had to someone in Arbroath. I couldn't go through the Inverness office.
"My issue is very specific: we live around Blarmore Avenue and my wife is not able to go around much, so we rely on buses. Nowdays the last bus you can get to our stop from the city centre is at 5.30pm, and this is not a driver issue because there are other buses going up Craig Dunain, but they don't stop for us.
"Once we had to wait for a bus for almost an hour to get back home, and the only bus that passed didn't stop for us even if I had waved at them. We had to get a taxi and it seemed impossible to get a refund without giving out my bank details.This situation is ludicrous."
Council leader, SNP councillor Raymond Bremner, went to speak to the group about their requests.
He said: "The challenge is there throughout the Highlands and the issue is affecting bus users across the region.
"We will speak to Stagecoach and look at ways of how the service provider can improve communications what they can effectively deliver and how, once they have established this, how to communicate this to service users.
"It will be important that Stagecoach engages with local community councils.
"We'll have to look at these issues across all the areas of the Highlands and look at other initiatives that would help provide public transport across the region."
Chair of Economy and Infrastructure, councillor Ken Gowans, said: "It's also school buses, kids going from Milton of Leyes to Millburn, buses not turning up, basically unreliability seems to be the issue.
"I have raised this with Stagecoach and I have asked for a meeting this week with them, but now that there is a new legislation to have a review of the services then perhaps is something we could be looking into quite seriously.
"Apart from the cost of the buses, the issue is also the reliability of services, we get it.
"We get it, we experience the exact same thing that members of the public do too.
"Stagecoach are having their challenges, with driver shortages, and they are trying hard to recruit in fairness to them, but there are several user issues that need to be addressed – the service is sporadic and people are losing faith in them because buses don't turn up.
"At the moment they simply cannot provide a reliable service, and this is frustrating for you and for us as well.
"It's not just people going into work, it's also school buses that don't turn up and you get to the winter periods and there has been a succession of these things.
"As a council, we will certainly look at alternatives and looking at different ways that we can have a sustainable transport policy, using all the elements that we are now allowed to use.
Inverness Ness-side, Labour councillor Andrew Mackintosh, said: "The business is their first job, and you can't judge them for that, but in this case they are providing a public service.
"There might be a new law coming up bit there is no money. We need a national transport system and policy and we need one now
"It would be important getting simple things like getting buses to arrive at the same time as ferries, but if you are in the north and you got a hosp appointment you need to get here and back up in the same day, and this is almost impossible now.
"It's all about user journey - transport policy here in Inverness, you can encourage people to walk and cycle more, but of course you can't.
"It will be key to find ways of people in rural Highlands are going to connect with services, since you cannot always connect services to the people, and we have to deliver this however we can."
