POTENTIAL plans to improve “lifeline” bus services were unveiled at a meeting in Tweeddale this week.

Borders Buses’ current 91 and 93 contract for travel to Biggar and West Linton from Peebles ends in April.

The future of the routes, seen by the council as “under-utilised” and not “cost effective”, had been uncertain.

But a mix of fixed timetables and ‘demand responsive’ services was unveiled by Scottish Borders Council’s principal transport officer at a meeting on Tuesday.

West Linton bus campaigner Ian Reid, instrumental in saving the threatened 101/102 service two years ago, praised the “excellent” plan after the gathering in Skirling.

Mr Reid said: “It is a great relief that the service is not being lost, as had been rumoured. 

“We look forward to continuing conversations about how we can make better use of this service.

“It is important to recognise this service is a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and potentially isolated members of the community.

“It is really important that their needs are fully considered as we weave together the fixed timetable, we currently have, with a demand responsive bus service.”
Council officer Gordon Grant said that tenders were prepared for the contract, valued in 2018 at £108,000.

He said there was an opportunity to change to a mix of fixed morning and early evening timetabled buses and a dial-a-bus type of service in the middle of the day.

Earlier Tweeddale West councillor Drummond Begg, who chaired the meeting, said: “This isn’t a service under threat, this meeting is about how you use the existing resource.”

The two other Tweeddale West councillors, Eric Small and Viv Thomson, were joined by two representatives each, some of whom are regular bus users, from community councils in Tweedsmuir, West Linton, Upper Tweed and Skirling.

On Monday evening Upper Tweed Community Council was packed with members of the public keen to make sure their reps knew the depth of feeling in Broughton.

Tweedsmuir secretary Debbie Cullen told the meeting that apart from school services in the morning and late afternoon, the area has no buses.

Mr Grant takes a “data driven” approach and handed out a series of graphs explaining current passenger trends on each route.

In 2023, 15,936 passengers used the 91 – equating to £12,995 in fares and £51,881 in concessions income.

The equivalent figures for the 93 were 7,911 passengers with £3,053 in fares and £31,716 in concessions income.

Mr Grant added: “I joined the council to see how we could do things differently to try and grow passenger numbers.”