The handling of a pilot Dial a Bus scheme in Dundee has been described as “an abject failure” by a senior councillor.
The scheme was touted as early as 2008 as a way to improve bus services in the city, particularly for the elderly and disabled.
It has been beset with delays since and, five years later, the council has finally admitted that Dial a Bus may never happen.
West End councillor Fraser Macpherson last night slammed those who failed to deliver the pilot, saying they lacked “drive and enthusiasm” and he says that vulnerable people will now suffer as a result.
He said: “There are good bus services across much of Dundee, but there are numerous communities in the city that have limited or no service.
“Dial a Bus would help bring some form of bus service to those communities across the city that have no or poor services at the moment.
“With flexible routing and scheduling of small or medium-sized vehicles, operating with pick-up and drop-off locations according to passengers’ needs, it would be a boon, particularly for elderly people and those with mobility difficulties.
“Dial a Bus provides a possible cost-effective solution to give these residents a bus option but it appears it will take a change of administration in 2017 and a committee convener with some drive and enthusiasm before this bus improvement will ever see the light of day.”
Mr Macpherson was an early advocate of the scheme, bringing forward the urban pilot plans for Dundee in 2008 as planning and transport convener.
Since then he has followed the lack of progress and has provided year by year evidence of “the council’s abject failure to achieve any progress.”
In 2011, Tactran said: “Dundee City Council is leading on implementation of the Dial a Bus scheme, in partnership with Tactran.
“It is anticipated that the scheme will commence in December 2011 at the earliest.”
By 2012, the city council’s transport chief advised him the project had hit “extraordinary challenges” but would be on track to begin in “early 2013”.
A year later, though, the transport boss changed his tune, saying that they were focusing on the “very popular” Taxicard scheme.
And this year, the head of transport finally admitted that no progress would be made on the scheme.
Mr Macpherson said he was outraged that such a potentially beneficial scheme had been left to wither away.