Residents need a better bus route

Newton Mearns and Eaglesham areas are not covered by the small bus No 375 which only goes to Busby, Clarkston and Netherlee, First Bus have now made changes to the No 4 and 4A bus for Newton Mearns and Eaglesham which has made the situation worse.

Cllr McAlpine said “At the recent Integrated Joint Board meeting on February 15 I asked for a full report into re- routing this small bus No 375 which travels empty most of the time. Newton Mearns and Eaglesham people feel cut off. But they still need to get to the Health and Care Centre for treatment.

“Public money is paying for this service and it should now be re-tendered to cover all area in Eastwood and not just a few parts.”

The meeting agreed to report back in March to look at a number of options which will include re-tendering.

A spokesman for East Renfrewshire HSCP said: “We worked very closely with SPT to develop and pilot an additional bus service, the 375, to the new Eastwood Health and Care Centre.

“This half-hourly service complements the well-established hourly bus timetable provided by the 374, a service which has never served the areas of Newton Mearns and Eaglesham.

“Any changes to the pilot would be extremely difficult at this stage as it would impact on the existing service and would require 70 days’ notice to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

“Patients who have difficulty using public transport, can use the SPT operated ‘MyBus’ service which is a bookable bus servicing offering door-to-door transport, where possible. All vehicles are low-floor and wheelchair friendly.”