Stagecoach beef up express routes

Stagecoach are withdrawing services between South Queensferry and Edinburgh next month, and moving their resources to improving their Express services from Fife.  Included in their plans, which begin June 5th, is a coach every 15 minutes between Kincardine and Glasgow, with two buses each hour now serving Forth Valley Hospital, The Service X24 which operates to Glasgow Airport will also serve the hospital.

First changes May 8th

First Midland Bluebird have a small number of service changes across the Forth Valley starting on Monday. Whilst there are enhancements in some areas, other area's like residential areas of Whins Of Milton, Cowie & Sheildhill will see local service withdrawn.
Amongst the changes, Service 2 from Falkirk to Dunipace, extends to Stirling University, and X39 from Glasgow extends via Stirling  University to wallace Monument. In the Falkirk area, Service 29 Bathgate service extends to Broxburn. There are timetable changes to Services 4 & 38.
Back in the Stirling area, the 54 Cowie-University service will be cut to a 20 minute service, and will no longer operate a circular route, and all journeys will operate via Cornton. The Clark Street journeys are withdrawn, with one journey per hour operating via Glasgow Road, two journeys via Braehead.

Diversions affect buses to Stirling & over Kincardine Bridge.

A number of planned road closures across the area will distrupt bus services in the next few weeks. From today until Tuesday Kerse Road in Stirling is closed at the railway bridge, with buses from Fallin operating via Forthside Way.
Gas renewals on the A907 between Causewayhead and Manor Powis from 13th February through March 19th, means  First's 62/63 services will between Tullibody & Stirling, will divert via Springkerse.
From Tuesday 14 February, various road closures will take place on the Kincardine Bridge, affecting Stagecoach 28, X24 and X27 services.
Minor delays may also affect route 8 /8A journeys to/from Alloa.
From Tuesday 14 - Thursday 16 February, between 2000 and 0530 each evening, and all day on Friday 17 February, the Kincardine Bridge will be fully closed and all journeys will divert via the Clackmannanshire Bridge.
From Saturday 18 February - Tuesday 7 March, the bridge will be closed southbound and all journeys towards Glasgow will divert via the Clackmannanshire Bridge.
From Tuesday 7 March - Tuesday 28 March, the bridge will be closed northbound and all journeys from Glasgow will divert via the Clackmannanshire Bridge.

Bus companies cut their cuts

It would appear that both Stagecoach & First bus have partly backed down from withdrawing some of the routes that they had planned from next month. First Midland Bluebird will partially replace service X86 with a new Service 4B linking Kilsyth, Banton, Banknock, Bonnybridge and Falkirk. This service will also offer a new link to Croy Railway station and extend across Falkirk to Falkirk Stadium and Grangemouth. The 4B Service will operate every hour Monday to Saturday daytime. Passengers for Forth Valley Royal Hospital will be able to change at Camelon to service 38/38A. Passengers travelling to Kirkintilloch, Bisopbriggs and Glasgow will be able to change to First Glasgow service 89 at Kilsyth.
Service 60 will operate half hourly between Clackmannan and Alloa to connect with the improved 62/63 Services (previously ran to Stirling, and hourly to Forth Valley Royal Hospital and Stenhousemuir).
First  will also implement proposals to run an hourly Service 7 linking Falkirk with Stenhousemuir Asda via Antonshill on Monday to Saturday. 　
Further changes have still be be announced in the Stirling area, where First have registered a number of variations to service 54.
Stagecoach have revised proposals for service 8 to operate every 30 minutes from Dunfermline bus station to Culross, with one journey per hour extending to Kincardine, Clackmannan and Alloa. (Previously ran to Stirling)
Saline & Steelend Service 6 is also reprieved, and will be revised to operate as an Oakley – Saline – Steelend – Wellwood – Dunfermline – Limekilns – Crombie service operating every hour during the majority of the day, with an additional early morning journey in to Dunfermline to enable better connections to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Kirkcaldy.
Further information may be available at public meetings being held next week with council and bus company offoicials  , as detailed below  :
Tuesday 19 July 10:00 - 14:00 at Clackmannan Town Hall
Wednesday 20 July 18:00 - 20:00 at Clackmannan Town Hall
Thursday 21 July 14:00 - 19:00 at Stirling Bus Station

Public Meetings to discus bus cuts in Clackmannanshire

From the council website :

Withdrawal and Reduction in First and Stagecoach Services
Bus users should be aware that from 15th August 2016 First and Stagecoach intent to withdraw or reduce a number of services in the Clackmannanshire area. These services include the 8, 23, 60, 62 and 63. Bus users are urged to attend the public meetings being held in Clackmannan and Stirling as follows:
Tuesday 19 July 10:00 - 14:00 at Clackmannan Town Hall
Wednesday 20 July 18:00 - 20:00 at Clackmannan Town Hall
Thursday 21 July 14:00 - 19:00 at Stirling Bus Station

Scotrail dispute cancels Alloa trains

The RMT union have announced a series of train guard strikes in their long running dispute with Scotrail over Driver Only Operations.  The strike has been festering for some months, leading to unofficial action by crews leading to widespread cancellations of services, especially on Sundays.
In the Forth Valley no Alloa to Glasgow services have run on the past three Sundays, and Scotrail have already withdrawn all Alloa services this coming Sunday again.
Then official industrial action will afffect journeys on Tuesday 21st,Thursday 23rd and Saturday 25th June, and the following four Sundays (including the last day of The Open Golf at Troon). Whilst Scotrail hope to run some services, notably Glasgow-Aberdeen, Glasgow -Edinburgh & Dunblane-Edinburgh, there will be no local Glasgow-Stirling/Alloa/Dunblane services, or Falkirk Grahamston- Anniesland services.
On top of all that, engineering work will mean no Alloa-Stirling trains for 8 days btween July 17th-24th.

Now Stagecoach weild the axe

Following on from First's high profile proposed cuts in Bus services across the Forth Valley, East Lothian and The Borders, Stagecoach have also released details of plans to cut services across Fife and Clackmannanshire.
It is proposed that the current Service 8 (Dunfermline-Stirling) will only operate between Dunfermline- Culross. This will leave no links between Kincardine & Valleyfield, Alloa or Stirling.
They also intend to cancel Service 6, the main service service Saline & Steelend.
Service 23 (Stirling-St Andrews) wil be reduced to just 4 return journeys a day, from the current 6.
On a more positive note, Stagecoach want to extend the X24 Glasgow Express to Glasgow Airport, giving an hourly service from Dunfermline & KIncardine.
They are just proposals at present, and the bus operator is talking with Fife Council regarding ways to cover some of the gaps.
Full details here