Stagecoach bosses want to scrap their stop outside Invergowrie train station after claiming its drivers are forced to put children at risk.
A spokesperson for the bus company said the number of parked cars nearby meant drivers had to “mount the kerb at the entrance to a play area.”
The company called on Perth and Kinross Council to urgently paint double yellow lines to manage the parking problem.
But a local councillor has branded the bus company’s emotive argument “a red herring”.
Labour councillor Alasdair Bailey instead accused Stagecoach of wanting to scrap the Station Road stop due to fears of competition from the train station.
Invergowrie bus stop ‘an unacceptable risk’ to pedestrian safety
A Stagecoach East Scotland spokesperson said the parking issue “has been raised with the local authority on a number of occasions”.
“In order to operate via the station under the current conditions with parked cars, our vehicles need to mount the kerb at the entrance to a play area.
“That is an unacceptable risk to the safety of pedestrians in the area, including children.”
The company is consulting on a range of changes, which bosses intend to introduce on October 3.
The spokesperson continued: “As the date for the service change hasn’t yet passed, there is still time for the double yellow lines to be applied.
“That would mean the change would not need to come into effect. We are hopeful that the local authority can support this outcome ahead of the deadline.”
‘A step in completely the wrong direction’
Councillor Bailey suggested removing the stop had more to do with the train station next door than child safety.
People in Invergowrie recently welcomed the return of their first hourly service to Dundee and Perth since the mid 1980s.
Alasdair said: “Stagecoach’s proposal to remove the bus service from Invergowrie train station only weeks after it got its train back is an example of all that is wrong with public transport in this country.
“Stagecoach are blaming a parking problem in Invergowrie. But they know well that the council is in the process of planning new double yellows for that location.
“They know this because Stagecoach attended the site meeting about the topic earlier this year.
“It’s a red herring. I worry that the real reason is that Stagecoach see trains as competition.
“We should adopt a situation like the Netherlands where buses and trains connect. This is a step in completely the wrong direction.”
A PKC spokesperson said: “We are keen to resolve this issue and are working to address it.
“A public consultation on proposals for double yellow lines is currently being prepared. This is a legal requirement before any Traffic Restriction Order can be put in place.”
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