All New Dumfries and Galloways area:

[Peter0124]

Looking at Hamilton bus station on google maps, the X74 southbound shows as terminating at Lesmahagow, is this an error on google's part?

 

[markymark2000]

Looking at Hamilton bus station on google maps, the X74 southbound shows as terminating at Lesmahagow, is this an error on google's part?

I think it's more of an issue with Stagecoach data somewhere because the X74 is split registration.

 

[oldman]

Going by the new timetables, it looks like there is NO bus from Moffat to get users into Dumfries before 9am?

That seems to be so. They have altered the 102 Dumfries-Thornhill-Edinburgh to run via Moffat as a sort of substitute for the 74 but going the wrong way.

If they wanted, the X74 that leaves Dumfries at 0845 could do a round trip to Moffat before, but that would no doubt cost the council.

 

[overthewater]

A further update has taken place, however I don't think most of the public will be happy. You have to wonder if Stagecoach saw what was coming and decided to cut and run.

Further to last week’s announcement, SWestrans and Dumfries and Galloway Council have confirmed updated arrangements for the region’s new bus network, which begins on Thursday 7 August.

Following a rigorous procurement process, 45 long-term contracts – each lasting up to seven years – have been awarded to local operators to deliver the subsidised bus network across the region.


The council will also deliver several bus routes in its role as the operator of last resort, where there has been no affordable private operator interest.

The vast majority of services will continue to operate, ensuring continuity for communities across the region.

SWestrans and the council have been working hard to ensure that as many of the region’s 12 commercially operated bus routes as possible are in place by 7 August, although neither SWestrans nor the council is responsible for the procurement of services on these routes.

Since last week, the following refinements have been made by commercial operators to bus services in the region:

The D10 (Lochside and Lincluden to Dumfries town centre) timetable has now been published and is available at https://www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/timetables. There will be a reduction in daytime services but late and early buses will be retained.
The 501 Dumfries to Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas service will be operated by McCalls Coaches. The timetable is being finalised by the operator. It will be posted on the council’s timetables webpage and social media channels once confirmed.
The 246 Dumfries to Cumnock bus service, also operated by McCalls Coaches, is yet to be confirmed. As soon as the new timetable for this route is finalised, it will be added to the council’s timetables webpage and posted on its social media channels.
The 74 Dumfries to Glasgow via Moffat service is being withdrawn, as previously advised. However, Stagecoach West Scotland is introducing additional X74 services to increase services on this route.
In addition, timetable adjustments have been made to the X74 and 101 services to ensure students can get to Barony College on weekday mornings.

As previously confirmed:

All home-to-school transport bus services – for which the council is responsible – will operate from the start of the new school term in August (Thursday 21 August).
Two services have been discontinued to ensure the delivery of an affordable and sustainable bus network. Due to very low passenger volumes, the 512 Castle Douglas town and the 410/411/412 Stranraer to Glenluce, Knock and Ervie service will be withdrawn from 7 August.

All confirmed timetables are now available for passengers to view online. Passengers are strongly encouraged to check the details of their specific route before travelling on or after 7 August. Timetables can be found at https://www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/timetables

For those without internet access, information will shortly be available via Traveline Scotland on 0141 465 1878. In the meantime, the council’s contact centre can help on 030 33 33 3000. Paper copies of timetables will be available to view at local libraries.

Cllr John Campbell, Chair of SWestrans, said:

“These changes aim to give people confidence in planning their journeys – whether that’s for work, appointments, or seeing friends and family – and with just over a week to go I’d encourage everyone to check the updated timetables online before travelling.
“We know there’s been a lot of uncertainty around local bus services, but with the refinements introduced over the past week we hope this new network provides reassurance that key routes are being maintained.
“Last, with more than 1000 bus stops across the region, printed timetables will not be in place everywhere by the start date, but we’re working to get them installed as quickly as possible.”
Cllr Stephen Thompson, Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said:
“Accessible, reliable public transport is vital for our communities, helping people get to work, school, healthcare and other essential services. With almost all the timetables now in place, the revised bus network will be ready for passengers on 7 August.
“Most services are protected; the new network will look very similar to the old one. Almost all commercial routes previously run by Stagecoach West Scotland have been picked up by the region’s other commercial operators, or will be operated by the council’s in-house provider, DGC Buses.
“Some changes have been made to subsidised routes to get best value for the public purse. In a small number of cases, services with consistently low passenger numbers have been withdrawn or redesigned.
“The new network is built on longer-term contracts. This provides greater certainty for both passengers and operators, encouraging future investment in vehicles and service quality.
“Looking ahead, although ensuring continuity has been the immediate priority, the new network structure is designed to be more adaptive. As operators gather data and learn more about passenger demand on their new routes, there may be future opportunities to enhance services and increase frequencies where needed.”

Further Update on New Regional Bus Timetables Announced

Further to last week’s announcement, SWestrans and Dumfries and Galloway Council have confirmed updated arrangements for the region’s new bus network, which

www.dgwgo.com

 

[JKP]

That seems to be so. They have altered the 102 Dumfries-Thornhill-Edinburgh to run via Moffat as a sort of substitute for the 74 but going the wrong way.

If they wanted, the X74 that leaves Dumfries at 0845 could do a round trip to Moffat before, but that would no doubt cost the council.

Rather strangely, the afternoon 102 still runs daily southbound from Edinburgh to Dumfries via Thornhill. However, with the morning 102 running via Moffat, there is no longer a northbound bus from Thornhill to Edinburgh even on a Saturday and Sunday when the college is closed.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Jul 2025 ==

Have just noticed that the 101 at 0845 ex Dumfries will take 33 minutes to travel between Amisfield Road End and Beattock even at the weekend against a normal scheduled time of 19 minutes. The driver will be having a tea break in a lay-by on route.

 

[overthewater]

Dumfries and Galloway council has made another public announcement, this time over the fact it spent £2million on some buses.. It just seems like alot of hot air. The council will also take over 11 routes.

Dumfries and Galloway Council Makes £2.66 Million Investment in New Low-Emission Buses to Keep Communities Connected | Dumfries and Galloway Council

Dumfries and Galloway Council has invested £2.66 million in a fleet of 12 new low-emission buses to safeguard vital transport links between communities in the west of the region.

www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk

Dumfries and Galloway Council has invested £2.66 million in a fleet of 12 new low-emission buses to safeguard vital transport links between communities in the west of the region.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has invested £2.66 million in a fleet of 12 new low-emission buses to safeguard vital transport links between communities in the west of the region.
The buses, which will run on public and school transport routes from 7 August, have been introduced to support more reliable journeys and improved passenger comfort, while helping to deliver cleaner air for local communities.
Fares on routes operated by the council’s bus service provider DGC Buses – and across the region’s bus network – have been frozen to protect residents’ access to essential services, employment and leisure activities.
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s investment – funded through capital borrowing as well as the council’s Capital Transport Asset Class – will see 13 staff transferred from Stagecoach West Scotland and seven additional members of staff joining DGC Buses.
The immediate purchase of 12 additional buses boosts DGC Buses’ fleet of vehicles to 77, making it one of the largest council-operated bus fleets in Scotland.
In addition, the council’s previously announced £3.4m investment – via the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund – will deliver nine zero-emission electric buses serving routes across the region from spring 2026.
The news follows the recent completion of a rigorous procurement process conducted by Dumfries and Galloway Council in partnership with SWestrans.
In late June, 45 long-term contracts were awarded to trusted local operators, forming the backbone of the region’s subsidised bus network. Where no affordable bids were submitted, or where operators were unable to take on commercially run routes, DGC Buses has now stepped in as the operator of last resort to ensure that as many vital transport links as possible can be retained.
And regional transport partnership SWestrans has paid tribute to the efforts of local bus operators to scale up their operations over the past few weeks, following the withdrawal of the main commercial operator – Stagecoach West Scotland – from the region.
Cllr John Campbell, Chair of regional transport partnership SWestrans, welcomed the news:
“It’s very positive news that DGC Buses is expanding to retain services in the region. I also want to thank our trusted local operators who worked tirelessly in recent weeks, going above and beyond to help deliver the new bus network by 7 August.
“Their dedication – and the strong partnership they have with SWestrans and DGC Buses – has been instrumental in ensuring communities continue to have access to essential public transport services.
“The new subsidised bus network is built on longer-term contracts, providing greater certainty for operators and encouraging future investment in vehicles and service quality. I look forward to further enhancements to services in the future as SWestrans and bus operators continue to work together to make ticketing more accessible and using the bus simpler.”
Cllr Stephen Thompson, Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said:
“We’re grateful for the patience shown by residents as we work to deliver the best possible bus network for the region, which will launch on 7 August.
“The withdrawal of the main operator from the procurement process run by the council in partnership with SWestrans posed a significant and unexpected challenge, particularly given the scale and complexity of delivering services across such a geographically diverse and rural region.
“The additional £2.66m investment in new buses will further protect bus services and ensure that essential links between communities are retained.
“This, added to the £3.4m already being invested by our council through the Levelling Up Fund, marks a significant investment in our bus network to support growth and development across the region.”
He added:
“I want to commend our local commercial operators: Anderson’s of Langholm; Brownrigg’s Coaches; Houston’s Coaches; McCalls Coaches and Telford’s Coaches. Their commitment and co-operation have been essential to deliver this outcome and build the foundations of a more stable and sustainable bus network.”


Residents are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance to ensure a smooth transition to the new network. Residents should check timetables prior to the launch on 7 August. Paper copies of timetables are available to view at local libraries and contact centres.
This is the list of routes DGC Buses will serve from 7 August:
School Routes

Routes	Description
407	Stoneykirk – Stranraer
407B	Drummore – Stranraer
408SB	Leswalt - Stranraer
765	Monreith – Newton Stewart
766	Isle of Whithorn – Newton Stewart
775	Kirkcowan – Newton Stewart
779	Stoneykirk - Sandhead
784	Port William – Newton Stewart
785	Whithorn – Newton Stewart

Public Service Routes

Routes	Description
236	Dumfries to Thornhill
D3	Dumfries to Georgetown
D4	Dumfries to Lochvale
359	Newton Stewart to Girvan
365	Stranraer local service
367	Stranraer to Portpatrick
407	Drummore to Stranraer
408	Stranraer to Kirkcolm
415	Port William to Newton Stewart
416	Machars to Stranraer
420	Newton Stewart Town

 

[RELL6L]

These are terrible, especially anything which connects the area with the rest of the world!

246 beyond Kirkconnel, only as far as New Cumnock, reduced to 4 a day with no helpful connections to Cumnock, Sanquhar badly affected but at least it has a station
359 to Girvan much reduced
520 to Dalmellington gone

Leaves only the services north and east out of Dumfries and the 358/360 two hourly from Stranraer to Girvan and beyond. Looks like services leaving the county of D&G have been particularly targeted.

 

[AndrewTaylor95]

These are terrible, especially anything which connects the area with the rest of the world!

246 beyond Kirkconnel, only as far as New Cumnock, reduced to 4 a day with no helpful connections to Cumnock, Sanquhar badly affected but at least it has a station
359 to Girvan much reduced
520 to Dalmellington gone

Leaves only the services north and east out of Dumfries and the 358/360 two hourly from Stranraer to Girvan and beyond. Looks like services leaving the county of D&G have been particularly targeted.

Stagecoach 43 runs hourly from New Cumnock to Ayr passing through Cumnock so not completely cut off also the 356 every 2 hours as well

 

[RELL6L]

Stagecoach 43 runs hourly from New Cumnock to Ayr passing through Cumnock so not completely cut off also the 356 every 2 hours as well

Yes but that doesn’t cover New Cumnock towards Sanquhar. BusTimes shows Stagecoach still running a single return trip on the 246 from Cumnock to Sanquhar and back starting out at 17.15, the only part of the service formerly run from the northern end. Yesterday this was a BZL, presumably the only electric bus in D&G. We’ll see later if it does still run.

With the 74 withdrawn there is now no morning peak bus into Dumfries from Moffat either. It’s terrible. I wonder if we will ever find out the real reasons.

 

[smtglasgow]

I’m sure that Dumfries & Galloway Council will come to regret losing Stagecoach. Not just losing another contractor (who were obviously capable of putting in competitive bids), but losing an operator with the resources to step in when other companies folded at short notice.

The new timetables seem to be designed for shopping, school or hospital visits, but not for anyone using them for work. I reckon that when people realise the scale of the cuts some of the councillors will start kicking off. D&G is one of the most deprived parts of Scotland, so I’m guessing car ownership maybe isn’t as high as you would expect in such a deeply rural area. As others have said, it’s a bit of a mess.

 

[DunsBus]

Yes but that doesn’t cover New Cumnock towards Sanquhar. BusTimes shows Stagecoach still running a single return trip on the 246 from Cumnock to Sanquhar and back starting out at 17.15, the only part of the service formerly run from the northern end. Yesterday this was a BZL, presumably the only electric bus in D&G. We’ll see later if it does still run.

With the 74 withdrawn there is now no morning peak bus into Dumfries from Moffat either. It’s terrible. I wonder if we will ever find out the real reasons.

Most likely, the local authority wanting a network run as cheaply as possible. Here in Berwickshire we have had no evening buses since Covid after Scottish Borders Council scrapped the subsidies for them. I see that in the majority of D&G services will now finish around 5.30pm, as is the case over here: the new network has been designed around schoolchildren and pensioners rather than the actual needs of the public.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I do a lot with public bodies. The rise of procurement processes and desire to get "best value" means that they look to have copper bottomed, risk free contracts. I have a suspicion (but only that) as to why Stagecoach couldn't accept something whilst smaller firms could.

However, this also smacks of the law of unintended consequences. They are dealing with a defined package of services. That has a geographic and parochial nature (so they subsidise little that passes out of the region). Public sector procurement also can't consider the impact of such an award on commercial services. So they might have considered (or not) that impact of Stagecoach losing all their contracts with a non-compliant bid, they had created their own straitjacket of legal requirements that they then can't get out of.

So I wouldn't think that there is anything more sinister. In the world of government, cock up is often more likely than conspiracy!

 

[Stan Drews]

It’s already on the record that Stagecoach wouldn’t accept the change in conditions that meant unlimited liability rather than a maximum amount, as is the norm in most other areas. Therefore, DGC considered their bid non-compliant. I suspect that the smaller operators are probably working on the principle that nothing drastic has ever happened before, so they’ll worry about it, if it ever does, whilst the Stagecoach corporate legal bods have simply said no!

 

[RELL6L]

It’s already on the record that Stagecoach wouldn’t accept the change in conditions that meant unlimited liability rather than a maximum amount, as is the norm in most other areas. Therefore, DGC considered their bid non-compliant. I suspect that the smaller operators are probably working on the principle that nothing drastic has ever happened before, so they’ll worry about it, if it ever does, whilst the Stagecoach corporate legal bods have simply said no!

That makes sense. Sue one of the small operators - or DGC's in-house organisation - for £10m and they just go under. Sue Stagecoach and they might have to find £10m. The risk here would be out of all proportion to the benefit of being in business in the county - I don't blame Stagecoach for picking up their toys and leaving.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It’s already on the record that Stagecoach wouldn’t accept the change in conditions that meant unlimited liability rather than a maximum amount, as is the norm in most other areas. Therefore, DGC considered their bid non-compliant. I suspect that the smaller operators are probably working on the principle that nothing drastic has ever happened before, so they’ll worry about it, if it ever does, whilst the Stagecoach corporate legal bods have simply said no!

That makes sense. Sue one of the small operators - or DGC's in-house organisation - for £10m and they just go under. Sue Stagecoach and they might have to find £10m. The risk here would be out of all proportion to the benefit of being in business in the county - I don't blame Stagecoach for picking up their toys and leaving.

Indeed - my suspicion was that there was an unlimited liability AND that it required a Parental Company Guarantee. This is a legally binding commitment so that the council can pursue the case through to Stagecoach and its parent. Meanwhile, an independent can simply close the business down. And yes, I agree with Stagecoach - you can't have an uncapped liability far in excess of the value of the contract. My firm would walk away (and has before).

It has backfired on the council but clearly, judging by the puff pieces, they won't admit that.

 

[PG]

It’s already on the record that Stagecoach wouldn’t accept the change in conditions that meant unlimited liability rather than a maximum amount, as is the norm in most other areas.

Pardon my ignorance here, but what kind of liability are we talking about? Public liability as in - if a contracted bus has some unfortunate mishap and an affected party sues the council for the ongoing effects well into the future?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Pardon my ignorance here, but what kind of liability are we talking about? Public liability as in - if a contracted bus has some unfortunate mishap and an affected party sues the council for the ongoing effects well into the future?

It's a fair question. And we aren't entirely certain what the issue actually was so I'll caveat the next few bits accordingly.

It's more likely in relation to business continuity. It's like a car component firm supplying to the Mini plant in Oxford. Fail to deliver on time and you stop the production line and immediate loss is staggering so they will have insurance cover (subject to the premium) that will provide financial restitution to a certain level. However, no one, whether an supplier, operator or insurer, will go for uncapped liability. In this instance, if Stagecoach had a strike (as they did recently), DGC could get in another company to undertake that operation at Stagecoach's cost (and at an uncapped level). It would be lunacy to accept terms like that.

As I say, we don't know exactly what the issue was but I'd not be surprised if it was something like that.

 

[overthewater]

Oh dear the public have started to lash back at how awful the council has made a mess of the new bus network. I doubt it will change anything. It's no good saying the council has the power to start running thier own bus service, there can't even fully replace stagecoach !

Petitions protest against Dumfries and Galloway bus changes

Communities in Dumfries and Galloway are upset by changes that came into effect earlier this month.

www.bbc.co.uk

Communities in Dumfries and Galloway have started petitions protesting against changes to their bus services.
More than 250 people so far have signed one opposing the merger of two services in Langholm. Communities in Mid Galloway and Wigtown West have joined forces with a petition against changes to bus timetables and routes, which have left them with fewer bus runs.
The South West of Scotland Transport Partnership (SWestrans) said it was aware of the concerns. Transport Scotland said it recognised the importance of buses to communities, and added that local authorities had a duty to identify where there was a social need for services.
A special meeting of Dumfries and Galloway Council was held on Monday to discuss residents' concerns.

Annandale East and Eskdale independent councillor Denis Male said he had received many complaints about the 120 and 124 bus services, which serve Langholm town centre and Langholm to Samye Ling. He said the merger of services had caused "a lot of problems" within the communities.

Mid Galloway and Wigtown West councillor Katie Hagmann, who chaired the meeting, said the petitions showed the strength of feeling across Dumfries and Galloway about the state of bus services. Councillors said a report was needed looking into the potential of a council-run bus network. They also agreed that a public transport needs assessment should be carried out for all local areas affected by the withdrawal or reduction of commercial services since June.

SWestrans said it along with Dumfries and Galloway Council were committed to improving the bus network by listening to residents and working with operators.

A spokesperson said: "As part of the recent planned procurement exercise undertaken by SWestrans and the council, 45 long-term contracts were awarded to trusted local operators to deliver the region's subsidised bus network, which comprises most routes in the region.

"Although most services were retained, we understand that some of the changes that came into operation on 7 August have caused uncertainty and concern to affected residents."

SWestrans said the merging the 120 and 124 services and other changes were made due to a combination of lack of operator capacity and low passenger volumes.

The spoksperson added: "We are liaising with local community transport providers to explore what options are possible within the budget available and the capacity of the operators concerned."

The Scottish government said it had given local authorities new powers, including around the running of their own services.

A spokesperson said: "We encourage all local transport authorities to consider the full range of tools available to them, to ensure that everyone has accessible public transport regardless of where they are in Scotland."

 

[Megafuss]

I do a lot with public bodies. The rise of procurement processes and desire to get "best value" means that they look to have copper bottomed, risk free contracts. I have a suspicion (but only that) as to why Stagecoach couldn't accept something whilst smaller firms could.

However, this also smacks of the law of unintended consequences. They are dealing with a defined package of services. That has a geographic and parochial nature (so they subsidise little that passes out of the region). Public sector procurement also can't consider the impact of such an award on commercial services. So they might have considered (or not) that impact of Stagecoach losing all their contracts with a non-compliant bid, they had created their own straitjacket of legal requirements that they then can't get out of.

So I wouldn't think that there is anything more sinister. In the world of government, cock up is often more likely than conspiracy!

I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if an experienced hand with good knowledge of the local market within the Transport team is saying "I told you this would happen" to the procurement and legal people.

Seen it too many times....

 

[overthewater]

McCalls Coaches has made a public statement over it's operations on Route 246: It's funny how this new company is unable to operate the daytime service commercially with four buses yet Stagecoach was able to do so. The route was partly paid for by Dumfries council, I believe that was linked to Evening and Sunday service that no longer operates.

246 DUMFRIES TO NEW CUMNOCK

We have had a fair few questions & queries regarding the following. We have decided to address them publicly to give everyone a better understanding of the decisions that have been made for this public service route.
As everyone aware we have took this service on commercially. This means no subsidies from D&G Council or Swestrans. Evidently this means the only potential profit we are able to make comes from the passengers fares. We were given all the passenger data from the council from the previous year Stagecoach had operated it, we then went away and made the timetable we are operating from the data we were provided. We dropped the timetable from four buses/drivers per day to two buses/ drivers per day. We done this because the passenger data for the runs we have not provided were considerably low and would mean we would be running at a loss, which is not an option. With the timetable we are currently operating we tried our best to accommodate workers and school children (although it's not actually a designated school bus we have tried to give the school kids an option).
When we initially decided we were going to take on the 246 run we contacted D&G Council and SPT (Ayrshire Council) to make sure there wouldn't be any issues if we wanted to give running this service a go commercially, they said there would be no issues. Fast forward we then ran into an issue, we were not able to get a short notice letter from SPT to send to the traffic commissioner to allow us to operate in Ayrshire therefore this means we can only operate as far as New Cumnock as a compromise for the school children and the workers for the time being. If we get a big enough demand we will be able to apply to operate as far as Cumnock but this will take some time.

Now there seems to be a lot of parents/guardians upset regarding the wait for the bus in the morning and at night. We have tried to fix this issue but end up making many problems for others elsewhere. The route is serving two different schools and with the new school times in place this means that one school will have a small waiting time before school starts in order for the bus to make both schools in on time. It also needs to get workers into Dumfries before 9am. This also goes for the return journey home from school. We have two schools to serve. There is a small wait for the kids again but the school is a safe place for the kids to wait either end of the day.
There was a couple of comments regarding the bus capacity's especially at school times. We have bought two brand new buses to run on this route. They seat 30 and have capacity to have 39 Standees on top of the 30 seated. Totalling 69 passengers at maximum capacity per bus which is monitored by the ticket machine ticket sales/NEC card swipes. This is not a school bus, this is a public service bus. Each school also have separate designated school buses to some areas we serve on the 246 which children will get bus passes for if they are entitled to the transport. I'm sure the school/council will have these buses running at full capacity to ensure that full potential of these buses have been utilised meaning less children on the 246 service bus.

There was a couple questions regarding the tickets & ticket costings. We have the usual single and return tickets and we also have a 10 journey ticket available going to and from anywhere on the 246 route. This is 10 journeys for the price of 8 journeys. There had also been questions regarding the NEC cards. We accept these - all bus companies in Scotland are required to accept these.

The bus no longer goes via the hospital as there was very low footfall going to and from the hospital with many other options for them to get there. They can get our 246 service into Dumfries then travel on the designated 111 Dumfries Town Centre bus to the DGRI or the 502 service which also runs frequently to and from the hospital. I contacted the hospital directly and there is not a designated visiting hour so people are able to visit patients at there leisure.
We totally understanding the publics frustration, questions and queries however we have tried our very hardest to be as accommodating as we possibly can whilst still being viable for ourself. That being said, if there was a council/Swestrans subsidy to be put in place we would be more than happy to look at extending the timetable to run later at night and/or a Sunday but it is our understanding there is no subsidy available. We have been working closely with Dumfries & Galloway Council and Swestrans to try and meet the majority of public needs

If anyone needs any additional information please don't hesitate to email us - enquiries@mccallscoaches.com.
Team McCall

 

[RELL6L]

McCalls Coaches has made a public statement over it's operations on Route 246: It's funny how this new company is unable to operate the daytime service commercially with four buses yet Stagecoach was able to do so. The route was partly paid for by Dumfries council, I believe that was linked to Evening and Sunday service that no longer operates.

Now the network is up and running I am sure there going to be any number of complaints. I know it is only one side of the story but what McCalls have said here seems very reasonable. If they believe that only two vehicles and drivers can be justified by the earnings then they can't serve everyone to exactly the time they might want, so they have to balance schools up the valley and commuters into Dumfries. Stagecoach ran the morning schools journey with a high capacity coach off the X74 so that looks like it is an issue, no surprise there. It seems like Strathclyde were playing silly buggers not allowing them to run to Cumnock at short notice, not helpful either. If the councils want a better service then they need to pay for it. IMHO the local population will be very unhappy at their council having allowed Stagecoach to walk away over something probably very silly where a jobsworth has been inflexible.

 

[overthewater]

I think the council is just blowing a lot of hot air around and are trying to pretend there isn't alot of unhappiness with the changes it caused. Service 500 to Stranraer operated by Houstons coaches has already been amended due to passenger feedback.

Dumfries and Galloway bus service defended despite complaints

There have been issues with children getting to school and fewer evening services in Dumfries and Galloway.

www.bbc.co.uk

A council has said the transition to new bus timetables in its area has been "relatively positive" despite complaints over its first month in operation. New contracts started on 7 August in Dumfries and Galloway after a prolonged battle with Stagecoach which culminated in it, in effect, quitting the region. The local authority said it had received complaints - including more than 100 feedback forms - with issues including getting to school, reduced evening services and connections not working as well as they previously had.

However, it said it was listening to the public and some changes in response to the issues highlighted had already been made. The change in services came into force last month after the contract battle with Stagecoach ended with the company deciding to shut its depots in the region.
The bus firm said that, during the tender process to run new services, it had found a liability clause that was "far in excess of the value of the contracts". I t said that meant they were "no longer commercially viable".
The council said its contracts had to ensure operators met minimum requirements on "industry-standard terms and conditions". I t stressed it had a duty to protect the public interest in any deals it agreed.

'Operator of last resort'​

A statement from Dumfries and Galloway Council admitted that there had been "challenges due to the size and scale of the development of the new bus network". It said 45 new contracts awarded to local operators by regional transport partnership SWestrans now formed the "backbone of the network". "DGC Buses, the council's in-house bus service provider has stepped in as 'operator of last resort' to cover many routes that would otherwise have been lost," it said. "We worked with operators to make sure new services were in place from the start date of 7 August.
"Any major change like this brings challenges so we're listening to feedback from passengers and have made some changes in response already." There have been reports of children unable to get to school on time but the council said that was among the issues it had tried to address.

An additional morning service from Cargenbridge has been introduced to support secondary pupils, a second dedicated school bus has been added from Kirkconnel and Kelloholm to Sanquhar, and a trial second bus introduced for Wallace Hall Academy.

"The council continues to meet statutory requirements to ensure that eligible pupils have access to dedicated school transport," the council stressed. It said it had received "comments and complaints" including more than 125 feedback forms. "We're grateful to everyone who has got in touch with their feedback," it said. "Reviewing the feedback has helped to inform the changes we've already made. "We'll continue to do so and encourage people to complete the form."
The statement added that it was confident the new network provided a "strong foundation" for the region. "The long term contracts we awarded are good for operators and passengers," it said. "The council has invested £2.66m in purchasing 12 new low-emission buses so that DGC Buses could secure services in the west of the region "It now operates one of the largest council-run fleets in Scotland, with 77 vehicles. "Swestrans and the council know there's room for improvement and we're committed to that."

 

[NorthOxonian]

Service 500 to Stranraer operated by Houstons coaches has already been amended due to passenger feedback.

In what way? I do know the fares on that route have increased significantly with Houstons coming in (particularly without a day ticket now to essentially "cap" the fare) which will make any future trips for me to Stranraer significantly more difficult, but have there been timetable issues that have had to be amended?

 

[markymark2000]

What I find interesting is that in the past month since all of these changes happened, D&G Council STILL haven't sorted out most of the Traveline entries for routes and so there are a shed loads of journey planners with simply no journey planning information.

The authority has never been great with their Traveline entries but when they are bragging about all of this investment and all of the good work they are supposedly doing, screwing over passengers by not keeping journey planners updated is really not a good look. Are they deliberately trying to cut passenger numbers and as such mean they can make cuts going forward due to low usage?

 

[PG]

In what way? I do know the fares on that route have increased significantly with Houstons coming in (particularly without a day ticket now to essentially "cap" the fare) which will make any future trips for me to Stranraer significantly more difficult, but have there been timetable issues that have had to be amended?

Looking at the council website it appears a new timetable was introduced on Monday this week, i.e. 15th September, but as I haven't got a copy of the previous timetable I can't say what the changes are.

 

[JKP]

Looking at the council website it appears a new timetable was introduced on Monday this week, i.e. 15th September, but as I haven't got a copy of the previous timetable I can't say what the changes are.

The first journey on the 500 from Dumfries runs via Lochfoot. Is this the change?

 

[Bedford OB]

There have actually been a number of changes since the August programme was introduced, in the light of experience of operations to date. The change to the 500 was minor - the first Mon-Sat bus from Stranraer in the morning was advanced ten minutes for reliability; also a minor school change. Other changes have been made to 246, 372, 796, and more significantly in Dumfries, where D2 and D12 have now been reinstated, separated out from D1/A and D10/A during Mon-Sat daytimes as in the Western days.

I have spent a week in D&G, an area I know very well, since the changes, and have had a good look at things. I have also spoken to a lot of people, including drivers, local press, and locals who are very familiar with and use the services. The general view I encountered is that people are very grateful that Houstons and McCalls stepped in, and while not necessarily happy with all of the detail, many pointed out that they are enjoying having a service with smart and clean new buses, and they acknowledge that various issues are being picked up as experience develops. These views are backed up by many comments on social media.

The biggest problem undoubtedly lies with the Council (no surprise there). Firstly to point out that the areas of loud complaint re services - Langholm, and the western area - these complaints relate to services where the Council had made the decisions on the new timetables and resources - they are all supported services subjected to the routine retendering programme and nothing to do with the withdrawals by Western Buses. These complains would have emerged regardless of Stagecoach staying in or pulling out. Yes, the northern end of the 246 has caused some flak, but SPT didn't help there, and McCalls have given a balanced explanation, as mentioned earlier on here.

People have complained to me that Council run buses, not those of the independents, are being cancelled. This comes as no surprise to me at all - the Council had a dreadful record of cancellations on its limited pre-August network, let alone what they have taken on now.

It is true that some of of the commercial Dumfries locals have had reductions, but in my experience of the last couple of years they were arguably over-bussed. Anyway, the reinstatement of D2 and D12 have added another bus per hour to those corridors into and out of town during the busier times. I am not sure, but assume, that this follows Houstons being able to resource the larger operation; they had to make a start at very short notice.

Perhaps the biggest issue so far as I could see is the hopeless lack of information. As at the latter part of August, the Council had posted nothing at stops, the shelters were covered with times and departure lists typically dated 2021, which is utterly useless. The only information I found out there on display was where Telfords have produced a decent timetable poster which they have displayed in the window of Langholm Post Office - the locals may not like the new times but at least they can see what they are!

The only printed information I am aware of is that Stagecoach Cumbria were quick to produce a new timetable booklet for the 79/179/579 group, showing the evening journeys that had been cut back to Annan/Gretna - unfortunately (almost inevitably) it ignores referring to the fact that connections can now be made on to Houstons journeys, but it may be that this was not known when they went to print, as that arrangement was set up at the last minute by the Council. I cannot see it lasting. I suspect that Houstons will go to print something as soon as they have time.

The Council is directing people to libraries, which will print PDF timetables off the web site for those who cannot do that for themselves. The web site is up to date, but a sign of their hopelessness is that they are now slipping the changes into the timetable listings without using the "service changes" section of the web site to notify people. Houstons and McCalls web sites are also a good source.

The Council is now talking of more studies - a waste of money that could have been spent on the service - and you get this clamour from certain quarters for a council run bus service. Utter nonsense - they already have one of those which is deficient, and the whole thing would be run by the hapless Council, which is the biggest problem in the first place ....

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Sep 2025 ==

The first journey on the 500 from Dumfries runs via Lochfoot. Is this the change?

No, the first journey M-S and two each way on Sunday have operated via Lochfoot from the outset. The changes to 500 are in my earlier post, which crossed with yours.

 

[overthewater]

Another week, and more complaints.. I think this story is going to run and run and run and the council really has badly mismanaged the whole situation.

Locals rage at 'utterly ridiculous' new bus timetable in Scottish village

LOCALS in a village in southern Scotland have hit out at an "utterly ridiculous” new bus timetable ...

www.thenational.scot

LOCALS in a village in southern Scotland have hit out at an "utterly ridiculous” new bus timetable.

The residents have taken particular issue with the fact the last bus home on a Saturday to Glentrool from nearby Newton Stewart leaves just five minutes after the first one arrives – at 11:35 and 11:30. There used to be return services until 17:20.

"Our village is quite remote and a lot of our residents are elderly – some don't drive," resident Jayne Mee told the BBC. "We all rely on the bus service in one way or another – to get to appointments, to get to the shops, to get to work, or just to get out."
"On non-school days we simply cannot use the service to Newton Stewart because the last bus back is five minutes after the first bus in – utterly ridiculous," she said.

"This has caused a lot of upset and inconvenience to our residents."

Another local, Susan Hutton, also told the BBC: “It's a beautiful place and we welcome people coming up here and it's great, but we are stranded if there's no bus.

"We say hello on the bus in the morning, you know, it's massive – it's a massive thing to people and we're trying to stop loneliness in the community – this is not helping at all.

"There's chatter on the bus on the way in in the morning, there's chatter on the way back – which doesn't seem a lot when you're perhaps in a working environment where you see people all day – but there's more people that don't."

A statement from Dumfries and Galloway Council and transport agency SWestrans said it recognised the concerns with the timetable, adding that the new bus network had seen 45 long-term contracts awarded with an investment of £2.66m in providing "reliable public transport".

"Without this investment, and without DGC Buses stepping in to run services throughout Wigtownshire as operator of last resort, this part of the region was at risk of having no services running at all," it said.

 

[Dwarfer1979]

Another week, and more complaints.. I think this story is going to run and run and run and the council really has badly mismanaged the whole situation.

Locals rage at 'utterly ridiculous' new bus timetable in Scottish village

LOCALS in a village in southern Scotland have hit out at an "utterly ridiculous” new bus timetable ...

www.thenational.scot

Not sure that one is entirely correct, there appears to be a later trip at 1540 though because of how the notes are displayed referencing a school variation to the journey it is possible people think it only runs on schooldays as opposed to what the note actually says which is it starts from a school on schooldays. Don't know how that compares to what they used to have though so it may be a major reduction but it doesn't appear to be so illogical that they only have 5-mins in town (though as it is 4-hours in Newton Stewart that may be excessive, the 2hr 30 in Girvan is probably more what people would want).

 

[Bedford OB]

Not sure that one is entirely correct, there appears to be a later trip at 1540 though because of how the notes are displayed referencing a school variation to the journey it is possible people think it only runs on schooldays as opposed to what the note actually says which is it starts from a school on schooldays. Don't know how that compares to what they used to have though so it may be a major reduction but it doesn't appear to be so illogical that they only have 5-mins in town (though as it is 4-hours in Newton Stewart that may be excessive, the 2hr 30 in Girvan is probably more what people would want).

You are quite right, there is a return trip at 1540 Mon-Sat as well as an earlier one at 1335 on school days. The difference, among other changes, is that the 1335 used to run on non-school M-F and on Saturdays too, giving an hour and three quarters in Newton Stewart (the bus arrived at 1145 on the old timings). This is down to SPT and D&G Council; they specified the new timetable.