Passengers protest against loss of routes

Bus passengers are concerned at the loss off the 101 and 102 services.

Dozens of bus passengers staged a protest in Biggar at the weekend against plans to axe a bus service linking Edinburgh to Dumfries.

Scottish Borders Council is proposing to withdraw funding for the 101 and 102 Dumfries to Edinburgh routes, which it funds jointly with South Lanarkshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council, with Midlothian Council paying for the use of the bus stance at Edinburgh bus station.

There was a similar protest in West Linton in the borders and protestors were joined by councillors from both areas.

Janet Moxley, from the Stand Up for Our Buses campaign, said: “The turn-outs at these protests show the strength of feeling about these proposals. This route is used by commuters, school children, shops and people visiting family and friends and is a vital lifeline for the rural community. We hope that Scottish Borders Council will now see sense and reverse their proposal to cut funding.”

A petition calling for a reversal of the decision can be found at https://www.change.org/p/scottish-borders-council-don-t-cut-our-bus-service, and paper copies are available from shops in Biggar.