“Let’s talk… about supported bus journeys in Mid Fife"

FIFE Council wants to hear from you if you use buses in Mid Fife.  Residents are being asked to share information about how and why they use local bus services as part of a consultation running from Monday 17th July until Sunday 17^th September 2023.

They’re looking for views on which subsidised bus services operating in Mid Fife are most important. All comments received will be considered when contracts for subsidised bus routes are renewed in August 2024.

The Council spends just over £5 million a year to support Fife bus services which otherwise wouldn’t be commercially viable for operators to run. These services are on routes, or at times, when it would cause a real problem for communities to be without them. These tend to be mainly evening and weekend services or daytime services serving smaller, rural communities.

Bus users are asked to take a few minutes to complete the survey, so Fife Council know what services people need and rely on to get out and about. The following bus services in Mid Fife are fully or partly subsidised by the council:

B1, L3, M3, M6, 13, 13A, 14, 14A, 18, 18A, 32, 32A, 34/34A, 35A, 36, 37/37A, 41B, 43, 44A, 45, 49, 66/66A, 108

You can take part in the consultation from Monday 17th July in several ways:

· Go to https://www.fife.gov.uk/bussurvey

· Pick up a questionnaire from Leven, Kirkcaldy or Glenrothes bus stations

· Look out for people surveying passengers on the bus services listed above

· Call 03451 55 55 555 Ext 445105 to have a questionnaire sent to you

There will also be a representative at the following bus stations during the consultation period:

Tony McRae, Service Manager for Passenger Transport, said, “Over two million passenger journeys are made around Fife each year on buses that the council pay for, so it’s really important we review them regularly to make sure they’re still meeting people’s needs.

“This consultation is about understanding where people are travelling to and from on our supported bus services in Mid Fife, the facilities they need to visit, and the times they need – or would prefer - to travel. This is so we can be sure that we continue to provide services that represent good value for money.

He continued: “Many people rely on bus services to get to work, college, health appointments and to access shopping and leisure facilities. I encourage all bus users in Mid Fife to have their say by completing our survey. That way, we can make sure we’re providing services that people really need.

During July, August and September, staff will also be carrying out ‘on-bus’ surveys with passengers using these routes and will be analysing ticket machine data.