299 Service Extension

A subsidised bus service to Strathclyde Business Park has been extended following the temporary relocation of Coatbridge College.

SPT’s Operations Committee agreed to continue the service for a further nine months.

The service between Allanton and Strathclyde Business Park was trialled for a year from July 2008 in a bid to make it easier for businesses to attract and retain staff.

Despite 240 companies at the Park employing more than 6,000 staff, the number of passengers using the service proved less than expected. Patronage on Saturdays was particularly low.

With the college now on site, the committee agreed to extend the contract with Stuart’s Coaches until July 2010 at a cost of £52,000.

The timetable is designed to deliver more morning and evening peak journeys and to meet train arrival and departure times at Bellshill Station. Buses run hourly outside peak hours from Monday to Friday only.

Park operators HF Developments recently carried out a travel survey with the interim results suggesting a willingness among employees to consider modal shift.

Chair of SPT’s Operations Committee, Councillor Davie McLachlan, said: “It’s important to maintain public transport links to Strathclyde Business Park and help people access employment opportunities.

“With Coatbridge College moving there temporarily, it’s also important to make it easier for students to travel to their classes by public transport. I hope more people will give the revised bus service a go and make better use of it, including the residents of Ferniegair, for whom it is a lifeline.”

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