MP Cathy on the buses campaign

Aug 17 2012 by Clair Fullarton, Kilmarnock Standard

PRESSURE is being put on transport bosses to provide a new bus link to Kilmarnock town centre from the housing estate at Moorfield.

Officials are looking at the original planning consent for the massive development to see if cash was set aside for transport.

It’s the latest move in a series of efforts to improve provision around the town.

MP Cathy Jamieson is behind the latest campaign for a new link to Moorfield.

The Labour politician has raised the issue with Stagecoach and Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) and now SPT is liaising with East Ayrshire Council to see if a new bus service is possible.

SPT have directed officers to investigate with East Ayrshire Council whether any funding arrangements were stipulated within the planning consent for the developments, which could be used to fund a subsidised bus service.

Ms Jamieson said: “I welcome the news that SPT is going to investigate with East Ayrshire Council whether there is any way of providing a bus service to the Moorfield developments.

“For people without a car, including young families, the elderly and the ill, bus services to and from home provide a vital lifeline to the outside world. While many residents at the developments have cars, it should not be assumed that public transport is not needed.”

Ms Jamieson’s Labour colleague on the council, Councillor Lillian Jones, added: “Residents in Bonnyton, Knockentiber and Moorfield have raised genuine concerns with me about the lack of a bus service within their communities which causes difficulty for parents getting their children to nursery on time in the morning and for elderly residents who would rely on the bus service to go into the town for shopping or doctors appointments.”

This latest bus campaign follows the removal of the number eight bus which caused outrage in the community of Bonnyton, where residents, many of whom are elderly, now have only one small hopper bus an hour to get into the town centre.

Residents there say there have been problems with this new service being late and buses arriving full of passengers by the time it gets to Bonnyton.

A East Ayrshire Council spokeswoman said discussions about the possibility of a bus service to Moorfield are continuing.