Residents of West Lothian village say they are 'trapped' by bus cuts and unreliable service

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Residents from a West Lothian village say they’ve been ‘forgotten about’ as they find themselves at risk of being ‘cut off’ from the rest of the community.Bus operator McGill’s announced they were slashing their services around West Lothian due to a bus driver shorter and financial challenges that the industry as a whole facing.West Lothian residents were outraged by the revised timetable that is set to come into place on May 8.

Residents who rely on buses in Blackridge and Greenrigg were facing complete isolation after a re-route of the X25 and X22.Locals have hit out at the current ‘unreliable’ service with short notice cancellations can see services cancelled for a full day in some areas.

A protest took place on April 25 at the Civic Centre, Livingston, over the cuts where McGill’s admitted they were ‘not proud’ of the current standard but justified their revised timetable that sees a reduction of early morning/late evenings and removal of Sunday services in the whole area due to lack of customers.Following the protest, West Lothian councillors agreed to two subsidised bus service to offer a ‘lifeline’ to Blackridge and Greenrigg which would run from Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm.Officers are hopeful that consent will be granted.Speaking to EdinburghLive, Karen Lambie 53, was worried for her community and herself with the prospect of the buses being axed.

She said: “The buses aren’t great, we never know if they’re coming but to cut them off all together is ridiculous. The amount of elderly that get that bus in the mornings to go to Armadale for their groceries - and it might not be there.