IN FULL: Cuts to Dundee bus services as Xplore battles rising costs

By Peter John Meiklem

June 10 2022, 6:00am

Xplore Dundee'

Xplore Dundee managers have cut bus services as they respond to fewer city passengers, rising costs and an end to government support.

The company published a statement claiming that serving the current numbers of passengers in the city still leaves it 20% short of covering its operating costs.

The cuts kick in from August 15 this year.

The company said its diesel costs had recently increased 42%.

And while city passengers value its fleet of ultra-modern e-buses, electricity costs there have rocketed 81%.

In response, the bus firm has cut some “under-used journeys” and withdrawn “certain route deviations”.

Bosses said daytime services will still run up to every 15 minutes on weekdays, every 20 minutes on Saturdays and half-hourly on Sundays.

Xplore Dundee ‘did not want’ to cut services

David Phillips is Xplore Dundee’s general manager.

He suggested the withdrawal of Scottish Government support forced the company into action.

He said: “This is not a position we wanted to act upon but the loss of vital recovery gap funding means it is necessary to cut our cloth accordingly.

“We recognise and regret that this may be an inconvenience to some of our customers.

“We are determined that this won’t be a ‘new normal’ which lasts forever.

“Xplore Dundee is ambitious and has a bright future beyond the pandemic, especially as the city embraces greener travel to protect the environment”.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said the Scottish Government had spent £40 million supporting the bus industry in 2022.

“As we continue to navigate our way through and out of the pandemic, it is important that the support we give transport operators evolves to make sure it remains fit for purpose and represents value for money.”

Service 1

Early-morning loop via Whitehall Street withdrawn (all journeys to follow the standard daytime route to Courthouse Square via Ward Road)
Detour via Tesco Call Centre withdrawn due to low usage
Draft timetable (showing journey adjustments)

Service 2

Re-timed to run hourly and extended to Kingsway Retail Park (via Dryburgh)
The new timetable
The updated route map

Services 5/5a

Service 5a re-routed via Arbroath Road (service 5 will remain on Broughty Ferry Road as normal)
Short-run journeys (which terminate in the City Centre) re-numbered as standard 5
Services 5/5a operationally split from service 10 at Broughty Ferry, which means passengers should transfer to complete onward journeys
Draft timetable
Updated route map

Service 6

Re-routed via Perth Road (instead of Blackness Road) and Scott Street (instead of Pentland Avenue) to create new connections to/from the West End district centre
Timetable cut to operate off-peak only (interworking between school bus journeys like services 2 and 23)
New timetable
Updated route map

Service 10

Detour via Macalpine Road Shops withdrawn due to low usage
Service 10 operationally split from services 5/5a at Broughty Ferry, which means passengers should transfer to complete onward journeys. Some journeys will start/finish at Grove Academy for pupils travelling to/from Douglas
Draft timetable
Updated route map

Service 17

Short-run journeys (which terminate in the City Centre) re-numbered as standard 17
Draft timetable (showing journey adjustments)

Service 18

Draft timetable (showing journey adjustments)

Service 22

Timetables revised to operate up to every 20 minutes during the day on Saturdays and half-hourly on Sundays
Short-run journeys (which terminate in the City Centre) re-numbered as standard 22
Draft timetable (showing journey adjustments)

Service 23

No changes proposed

Service 28

Detour via Dunholm Road terminus withdrawn
Timetable revised to operate up to every 20 minutes during the day on Saturdays
Short-run journeys (which terminate in the City Centre) re-numbered as standard 28
Draft timetable (showing journey adjustments)
Updated route map