Local buses return

With the Scottish Government easing lockdown & travel restrictions, bus services will be increased from Monday June 29th. It is being stressed that journeys are still for essential journeys, as passenger capacity is vastly reduced due to social distancing guidelines. Face coverings are still a requirement for any public transport journey. l

Services, whilst increased from the current "essential" timetables are still not fully restored to pre-Covid levels. 

Whilst many services will return to near normal levels, other services, like First's X35 will only operate Falkirk-Condorrat, and X36 is rerouted via Cumbernauld Town Centre. 

First are also rearranging stopping arrangements in Falkirk Town Centre.  Full details of First's changes are here.

Stagecoach Express services between Fife & Glasgow, return to a 15 minute frequency, Service 8A from Dunfermline to Alloa returns , but Falkirk services(8/28) , and the Stirling-St Andrews service (23) remain suspended. 

Timetables available here.  

Citylink will resume a 2 hourly service between Stirling-Grangemouth-Edinburgh (909) and a less frequent GLasgow-Stirling-Perth service (M8)

Further bus cuts from Monday 6th April

Following reductions and withdrawal of service by other operators, Midland Bluebird will be making further cuts their services from Monday (April 6th) . A full list of their forthcoming timetables have been published online. Check out the Forthcoming tab.
Amongst the changes are :
UL withdrawn
X36 only operates Stirling- Cumbernauld (connecting to X37 to Glasgow)
X38 operates hourly and now serves Stirling & Falkirk Community Hospitals, as well as Forth Valley Hospital.

Further Coronavirus cuts to bus services

From Wednesday this week, Mackies services, already cut to peak hours only, will be withdrawn completely, whilst at the same time Stagecoach are making further cuts to their services.
Service 8 will only operate Dunfermline-Culross, Stirling - St Andrews service 23 will be withdrawn, and Service 15 Stirling-Crieff-Perth will only operate twice daily.
Even the flagship express services will be cut with only the X27 operating every two hours between Dunfermline & Glasgow.

Coronavirus hits local transport UPDATED

Bus, Coach and rail services will be curtailed temporarily from tomorrow, as operators react to lower passenger numbers, and the governments advise not to travel.
First Midland Bluebird have have announced reduced services effective Monday 30th. Basically, most routes will run to Sunday service levels, with some services, which dont normally run on Sundays, running at reduced levels. Contracted services like Clackmannanshire- Forth Valley Hospital Services H1/2, Alloa Town service C1 & Stirling local services C30 & C48 will continue to operate normally.
Mackies have,this week, reduced their services to peak hour commuter services only Monday- Friday, whilst Bryants and Fergusons have withdrawn all services.
Stagecoach are reducing services to Sunday levels, with Service 8A between Dunfermline-Alloa only operating hourly between 11am- 6pm, and no services between Kincardine & Falkirk.  Express services between Kincardine/Larbert & Glasgow will operate half hourly, with no services extending to Glasgow Airport.
Citylink's 909 Service between Stirling-Edinburgh and M8 Perth- Glasgow via Stirling are both  reduced to 2 commuter journeys each way, but Glasgow- Aberdeen services will serve Stirling bus station.
Scotrail will reduce services further from Monday, with an hourly service between Alloa-Glasgow, Dunblane-Edinburgh, Glasgow-Falkirk High-Edinburgh  and Glasgow- Cumbernauld -Falkirk Grahamston-Edinburgh but only up to around 8pm.  There are reductions on services to Inverness & Aberdeen. Dunblane loses its direct services to Glasgow , with connections required at Stirling.
LNER have withrawn their 0526 Stirling-London (will start Edinburgh) and the 1500 London-Stirling services. Caledonian Sleeper services from Fort William & Aberdeen are being withdrawn , but the Inverness service, which calls at Stirling & Falkirk will continue.

Edinburgh rail closure in run up to New Year

Engineering work between Haymarket and Waverley between Christmas& New Year will affect all rail services into Edinburgh from 2200 on December 27th to 0430 on December 30th, and again on New Years Day (cross border routes). Services will be replaced by buses from Linlithgow, Falkirk, Dalgety Bay, Bathgate & West Calder. Some Virgin trains will use the Edinburgh suburban route as a diversion.

Lothian bus battle - the new X38

Lothian Buses next move into First's West Lothian heartland, will start next month, when they launch their own X38 between Linlithgow and Edinburgh- in direct competition to the long standing First route with the same service number. This will be in addition to the EX2 Coach service launched in the summer.

West Stirlingshire buses revised

First Midland Bluebird buses in the West Stirlingshire area are changing from October 21st. The basic change is that services from Stirling to Balfron via Kippen (X10) and Aberfoyle (X10A) will now extend into Glasgow. Both services will operate 2 hourly between Stirling & Balfron, combining to make an hourly service from Balfron to Glasgow. Check out the new timetable here.
At the same time there are reductions on the X36 Stirling-Cumbernauld-Glasgow service, which will revert to half hourly, and the 29 Falkirk - Bathgate service, which will now terminate at Avonbridge (with the exception of council funded early morning, evening & Sunday Services.
There will be changes to a number of other services from the same date. Check out the details on the First website.