Good news for some Portlethen bus passengers this afternoon. From 20 April southbound Route 7 buses are to travel along Muirend Road (past Whinpark Circle and Broomfield Road) and Bruntland Road to rejoin the A90, rather than heading straight on to the A90 after Asda. Stagecoach managing director Steve Walker gave the news to residents and local councillors at a meeting in Woodhill House this afternoon. This means more people can access the buses more easily.
I had put the idea to Steve Walker some weeks ago when I met him at the bus station in Aberdeen. The suggestion had come from my wife, who uses the buses regularly and chats to fellow passengers.
He also told the meeting that the Aberdeen-Portlethen-Newtonhill-Stonehaven route had been losing money, hence the need previously to make changes. It is now on an even keel financially. He said that the key to a successful bus services is a simple and frequent service. Unfortunately with the road layout in Portlethen and competing needs, that is very difficult. Another challenge is traffic congestion in Aberdeen, which delays peak services and increases costs.
The residents present – who had petitioned the bus company for better services in the town – also made a plea for better links with Stonehaven, and not necessarily at peak times. Another point they made was that it would be helpful if services could be aligned so that passengers from one could catch another. If the link isn’t made, passengers can have to wait an hour for the next service.
Mr Walker also hopes the when the new town of Chapelton grows it will leads to more bus services, including “strengthening” the services through Portlethen.
The timetable change on 20 April will mainly affect the Muirend Road services.