First take on hospital runs

First have taken over from WAVE, in running the H1/2 services between Clackmannanshire & Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert on Monday-Saturdays, from this week. The contract funded by NHS Forth Valley is valued at £1,277, 880, will run until March 2018.
First submitted thge only tender for the work, and no award has been made for a Sunday service.

Local fares rise

First are increasing some of their fares in the Forth Valley from next Sunday (29th). The £1.80 and £2.20 single fares will go up by 10p. Returns and childrens fares  will increase accordingly.
Also the popular £2 Grangemouth day ticket will go up by 25% to £2.50.
However all other fares will remain unchanged.
A week later, on April 5th, Stagecoach will  increase their fares across the board by under 2%.

Weekend rail services withdrawn from Alloa

The new Scotrail operator, Abelio, is getting off to a bad start in Alloa. Although the new operator takes over on April 1st, long standing engineering works will mean that there will be no weekend (Saturday or Sunday) services from Alloa for the whole month of April. Rail replacement buses will be in operation. Furthermore, on Sunday, April 12th, further engineering work will mean that there are no trains between Stirling & Croy, but long distance services from Aberdeen & Inverness will still serve Stirling en route to Glasgow, although they will be diverted and journey times extended.
There will be a further two weekends of service withdrawel from Alloa in July.

More First Bus cuts in Stirling

First are cutting more services in the Stirling area next month, From April 20th, Service 58 between Stirling & Dunblane, currently an hourly service, will be cut to just one journey daily towards Dunblane & three from Dunblane.
Service 101, serving the Forth Valley College at Kildean will be withdrawn, although one return journey will operate for start & finishing times at the college by Service 57, between St.Ninians & Raploch.
Service 57, itself, is being cut from a 20 minute service to half hourly, and is rerouted via Whins of Milton, and Glasgow Road , whilst Service 54 will revert to it's old route in Whins Of Milton, and now serve Stirling Community Hospital.
Further cuts are being applied to the X39 Service between Stirling-Glasgow, with evening services being withdrawn,

First revisions next week

First are revising services next week (Jan 12th), and will withdraw Stirling service 53 (Whins Of Milton -Cornton), and reroute Service 54 to cover part of Whins Of Milton. Whilst maintaining the current 20 minute frequency between Clackmannan-Stirling, the extended journeys to Falkirk & Forth Valley Hospital are reduced to hourly.
Service 24, between Stirling & Glasgow, will terminate in Kilsyth, with Service 27 from Falkirk to Glasgow via Kilsyth being revised as Service X86.
In the Falkirk area, Services 14 (Bainsford-Stenhousemuir), 19 (Boness-Dunipace) and 37 (Greenhill- Callendar Park),are withdrawn, with Services 5, 6 & 7 and revised Falkirk Council services, covering parts of the affected routes.

Less Citylinking

Scottish Citylink have introduced a new timetable with reductions in services between Glasgow- Dundee, Most notable are early morning & Sunday journeys. Two morning journeys, previously beginning in Dundee, now begin in Perth or Dunblane. Northbound, the first coach serving Stirling is now 0940, two hours later than previous, meaning connections to Inverness and aberdeen dont arrive until after lunchtime.
Most drastic, is the hourly service between Stirling & Glasgow on Sundays is reduced 4 journeys, from 10 previously.  

Free Stirling tourist bus - but be quick!

Destination Stirling have introduced a trial hop-on, hop-off bus service linking the City Centre with the Wallace Monument, Castle, Smith Art Gallery & Museum and Battle of Bannockburn Experience. Timetables are on display in the Bus Station and at Destination Stirling. This will be a 22-day trial, running every day from today until 22 August 2014.
ALL JOURNEYS WILL BE FREE and there will be an on-board guide.
In the city centre, the service will leave from the Rail Station forecourt, rather than from the Bus Station. The bus will stop at timing points only, but with additional request stops at: King Street (uphill) Causewayhead Road near Stirling Old Bridge, south of junction with Cornton Road (both directions)