SCOTLAND’S LEADING bus operator has denied it will be quids in when tolls on the Forth and Tay Road Bridges are scrapped as from Monday.

And Stagecoach, which operates a variety of services from various towns in Fife across the two bridges to Edinburgh and Dundee, has stressed that it will not be reducing fares despite growing pressure to pass on the £120,000 saving to customers, as this will be far outstripped by rising costs.

However, Courier reader Chris Cuthill from Kirkcaldy claimed that Stagecoach would benefit and accused the bus operator of ripping off passengers.

He examined the timetabled journeys to Edinburgh and Dundee from Fife and concluded there are approximately 175 journeys made to Edinburgh each day (Monday-Friday) and 114 journeys to Dundee. Excluding weekends, the company would save well over £100,000.

Mr Cuthill said, “I find it hard to believe that they can’t or won’t pass some sort of saving on to their passengers, or use the money to improve services in the Kingdom.”

North East Fife MSP Ian Smith has also called upon Stagecoach to reward their loyal passengers by cutting the fares of journeys across the bridges from Monday.

In a letter to the company’s managing director Mr Smith said, “Stagecoach will save a lot of money once bridge tolls are removed but, as things stand, bus passengers who have loyally travelled by your services will gain nothing and indeed might be tempted to switch to using a car post-tolls.

“A cut in the bus fares would not only reward the thousands of bus passengers, both regular commuters and occasional users, for sticking with the bus and using public transport, but might also attract new passengers out of their cars.

“The dedicated bus lane on the Forth Road Bridge will also enable you to cut journey times.

“I’m sure you will agree that it would hardly be fair if only private motorists felt an immediate benefit from the lifting of tolls but bus passengers got nothing.”

A spokesman for the bus company said that they have been spending £120,000 per year on toll charges.

However, the impact of the Scottish Government freezing the bus service operator’s grant and increased fuel prices will cost Stagecoach in Fife an additional £1.27 million in this financial year—considerably more than the benefit gained from the abolition of tolls.

There is also continued major investment in the network. This saw 29 new buses introduced late last year to the Fife Express network at a cost of £4.5 million and increased service levels, with 12 buses per hour to Edinburgh City Centre at peak times and eight during off peak periods.

The Stagecoach spokes-man added, “Toll charges form a very small part of the basket of costs that are the basis of determining our fares on services using the Forth and Tay bridges.”