Stagecoach East Scotland have announced revised timetables from Monday 17th August in the West Fife area following the closure of the Cowdenbeath Bus Depot..

The changes are mainly as a result of Fife Council tendered service changes in West Fife and will affect school services as well as the local bus network.

A total of 141 staff are based at the Cowdenbeath depot, including 111 drivers. The vast majority of employees will relocate to other Stagecoach depots and vehicles will also be deployed to other locations. There will be significant changes to school bus services in West Fife from the start of the new term, as changes to school contracts issued by Fife Council were awarded to a number of bus operators.

Stagecoach East Scotland submitted bids for all contracts proposed for South and West Fife schools and local bus services earlier this year however the company was offered a significantly reduced level of work compared to previous years. Andrew Jarvis, Managing Director Stagecoach East Scotland said, "As a result of the loss of a number of tendered services from 17th August we had to re-evaluate our operations in the area, however it was important not to reduce the journey options for our customers and I'm glad we've managed to achieve that. Some timetable changes are required to ensure efficient operations, but these adjustments are minimal and where possible we've even been able to add extra morning or evening journeys and we're even launching an improved daily service to Livingston for commuters and leisure travellers."

Commercial services currently operated from Cowdenbeath depot will be moved to other nearby depots and customers will not see a significant change in these services.

Mr Jarvis added, "We discussed a range of possibilities with trade union representatives and individuals over the last few months but unfortunately it would not be affordable to continue running fewer services while facing the same overhead costs and we had to make the final decision in the interest of both staff and customers, as well as the long-term future of the business."

Full details of the timetable changes affecting Stagecoach services is available to view at www.stagecoachbus.com (full web URL: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/tis-service-update-details.aspx?id=6220)