Callander-Stirling bus cancellations cause chaos as rural passengers share own stories of disruption

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The state of rural bus services in Stirling have come into sharp focus again as one service saw at least 10 scheduled services cancelled on Monday – leaving passengers stranded.The number 59 service between Callander and Stirling is a vital lifeline for many aiming to get to work or into the city for vital medical appointments but an ongoing driver shortage saw many buses on the route disappear on Monday.It’s part of a wider trend of cancellations over recent months which have left passengers fed up with the state of local bus routes.Some of them took to the social media of operators First Scotland East to express their unhappiness with the late cancellations on Monday morning – with one passenger revealing she had already waited for almost 50 minutes for a 59 bus to arrive.A spokesperson for First Scotland East said: “We can confirm our 59 service was subject to disruption this morning (Monday).“This was due to the challenges we continue to face as a result of the ongoing national driver shortage.“We would like apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused and are continuing to work hard to overcome this issue.”The shortage has previously been blamed on issues including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as extra challenges in recruiting drivers due to Brexit.However, Trossachs and Teith councillor Martin Earl believes more needs to be done to secure a reliable and regular service to ensure rural passengers are not cut off.Mr Earl said: “I am very aware of the pressures that all bus operators are under.“The difficulties in recruiting staff has been well publicised as have the many cancellations it is causing.