Less buses but link to capital is preserved

Campaigners fighting to save the 101/102 service between Biggar and the capital have won a partial victory with the current hourly service run by Stagecoach not being dropped completely, as widely feared, but cut, especially in the evenings.

Biggar’s Janet Moxley, co-ordinator of the area’s Stand Up for Our Buses campaign, said this week that she and her fellow campaigners had ”mixed feelings” about the outcome of talks between Stagecoach and the service’s main funder, Borders Council, on the Dumfries-Clydesdale-Edinburgh service’s new timetable.

The 101/102 service is often used by Lanark travellers to and from the capital, using the Lanark-Biggar 191 bus to link with Biggar-Edinburgh bus.

The Royal Burgh has no direct bus nor train route to Scotland’s cap[ital city despite it being less than 35 miles away.

Explained Janet “Following the decision by Scottish Borders Council to withdraw £100,000 of the funding which they put into the route, there were fears that there could be significant cuts.

“However, following a recent tendering process, a new contract for the route has been agreed which avoids some of the more severe cuts, although some evening services will go.”

“We are still waiting to see the detail of the new timetables but it seems that it will maintain a through service between Biggar and Dumfries serving communities such as Abington and Crawford and also keep the Sunday service which we currently have, with some changes to the daytime services.

“The outcome could have been a lot worse.”

She went on to warmly thank all who had backed the campaign.

At its Monday night meeting, Lanark Community Council members expressed worries at the cuts.