Scottish Bus Week
Monica has called for improvements to Lanarkshire’s public transport network during Scottish Bus Week.
The inaugural event was launched on Monday (May 23) and is being delivered in partnership with CPT (Confederation of Passenger Transport) Scotland and supported by Paths for All and other partners including First Bus [1]
Monica has been campaigning in particular for the reinstatement of First Bus’s X1 service, which ran between Hamilton and Glasgow before being pulled temporarily in 2019.
The express bus was briefly put back on the road at the start of 2020, but scrapped again at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monica said: “I fully support Scottish Bus Week and warmly welcome any efforts that would ultimately help reduce both the cost of living and climate crises.
“However, cutbacks to local services coupled with cancellations on Scotrail’s timetables mean that the public transport network in Lanarkshire simply isn’t up to speed.
“The X1 express service which ran between Hamilton and Glasgow in particular is a huge loss to the community.
“As the only direct link between the local area and the city centre, many relied upon it for work and education, and socialising too.
“First Glasgow blamed the withdrawal on passenger numbers and the viability of running the service while COVID restrictions were in place.
“But they can no longer hide behind that excuse and it’s time they got the X1 back on the road.
“What better time for First to review Hamilton’s services than during Scottish Bus Week.
“SNP ministers are in charge of public transport and they must ensure that communities have access to bus services that meet their needs.”
ENDS
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