How the council helps keep the buses running

Aberdeenshire Council gives financial support to help keep some bus services running, writes Councillor Ian Mollison. Without that help, these services would not be viable and probably cancelled by the operators.

In the Portlethen/Newtonhill area, the services are as follows:

Monday to Friday

0500 hrs ex Stonehaven – Newtonhill – Portlethen – Aberdeen [Service 7A]
0905 hrs ex Newtonhill – Portlethen – Aberdeen [Service 7]
0959 hrs ex Portlethen – Marywell – Aberdeen [Service 8]
1159 hrs ex Portlethen – Marywell – Aberdeen [Service 8]

0940 hrs ex Aberdeen – Marywell – Portlethen [Service 8]
1240 hrs ex Aberdeen – Marywell – Portlethen [Service 8]
1325 hrs ex Aberdeen – Portlethen – Newtonhill [Service 7]

Saturday

0527 hrs ex  Stonehaven – Newtonhill – Portlethen – Aberdeen [Service 7A]
0627 hrs ex  Stonehaven – Newtonhill – Portlethen – Aberdeen [Service 7A]
0855 hrs ex Stonehaven – Newtonhill – Portlethen – Aberdeen [Service 7]
1107 hrs ex Stonehaven – Newtonhill – Portlethen – Aberdeen [Service 7]
1156 hrs ex Portlethen – Marywell – Aberdeen [Service 8]

0940 hrs ex Aberdeen – Marywell – Portlethen [Service 8]
1240 hrs ex Aberdeen – Marywell – Portlethen [Service 8]
1325 hrs ex Aberdeen – Portlethen – Newtonhill [Service 7]
1455 hrs ex Aberdeen – Portlethen – Newtonhill – Stonehaven [Service 7]

I have been advised by Neil Stewart, the council’s principal officer for local bus services in the Public Transport Unit, that there are some journeys operating quite close together. These were not tendered in this way, but the operator indicated that they would cover all the tendered components by means of more than one journey e.g. the 0905 hrs ex Newtonhill – Aberdeen (Monday to Friday) fulfils the demand from Newtonhill to Portlethen and Aberdeen, while the 0959 hrs ex Portlethen – Aberdeen (Monday to Friday) fulfils the demand from Portlethen to Marywell Park and from Marywell Park to Aberdeen. This was tendered as one journey from Newtonhill to Aberdeen via Portlethen and Marywell Park. It’s the same in the afternoon and on Saturdays.

The vast majority of journeys between Aberdeen and Portlethen/Stonehaven are operated by Stagecoach Bluebird on a commercial basis. If a journey is not operated, the company normally informs Traveline (to inform the public) as well as the Traffic Commissioner.

Regarding the small number of supported journeys on the corridor, it is the operator’s duty to keep the council informed, and unless the non operation is due to severe weather conditions, there is no payment. Indeed, if the failure constitutes a breach of contract, it will be subject to the council’s penalty points system, which can also result in the imposition of financial penalties.

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