Mossbank petition fails to get bus reinstated

A petition submitted on behalf of Mossbank residents asking for the 3.15pm bus from Mossbank school to be reinstated has been turned down.

The public transport partnership ZetTrans today approved a response to the petition, indicating that the request cannot be met within existing resources.

Concerns had also been raised around the safety of the school walking route, with officials deciding to refer the matter on to the Council’s schools service for consideration, to explore whether there is any entitlement to dedicated school transport.

The petition, which received 125 signatures, had originally been presented to the ZetTrans meeting on 25th April, asking to reinstate a service that had been in operation until new contracts were brought in back in August 2014.

The covering letter to the petition stated that of 10 primary pupils and 13 nursery pupils, 16 do not have access to a private vehicle during the day.

Speaking at the meeting, ZetTrans lead officer Michael Craigie said: “We could put in an extra dedicated service but that would come at an extra cost.

“The bottom line is that without additional spending there is no solution within the public network.”

ZetTrans are unable to accommodate the school trip in any current services, according to Mr Craigie. “If we do, we break the link with the ferry,” he added.