MSP ANGUS MACDONALD WELCOMES COUNCIL DECISION ON X19 BUS SERVICE
10 October, 2012
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Angus MacDonald MSP hands in two of the petitions to the local First Bus depot.
Local MSP Angus MacDonald has welcomed the announcement that local bus services across the Falkirk Council area that were scheduled to be withdrawn by First Scotland will continue to run until the end of March 2013. The reprieve for the Bo'ness to Edinburgh service has been welcomed by Bo'ness residents who submitted three petitions to Falkirk Council and First Bus calling for the X19 service to be retained.
Falkirk Council’s Policy and Resources committee has unanimously agreed to step in to replace the services while a wide scale review of non-commercial bus operations would be undertaken, which is expected to be completed by the end of January 2013.
Welcoming the news Falkirk East MSP Angus MacDonald said:
“I am extremely pleased that Falkirk Council has agreed unanimously to retain local bus services until March 2013 which were scheduled to be withdrawn from this month. While this will result in a temporary reprieve it is clear the battle to retain the X19 service is not over yet. I will continue to impress upon Falkirk Council, First Bus and any other private operators interested in taking on the service the importance of the route to the people of Bo’ness. In the meantime there is some breathing space to find a long-term solution, and I look forward to the Council’s review being completed by January 2013.
“It was encouraging that nearly 2,000 people signed the petitions to retain the X19 service and it is testament to ‘people power’ that the service has been retained, albeit temporarily.”
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