The operators of Bus’Y’Bite Café have asked for first refusal of a new station premises if and when the Perth Bus Station redevelopment goes ahead. This week a petition was launched to keep the popular café at the station after Perth and Kinross Council notified the family business their lease would not be renewed after 2028.
Council pledges support but owners seek certainty
The local authority has pledged to work with the café’s operators to explore future options “including any potential commercial opportunities that may arise as part of a redeveloped bus station”. However, mother and daughter Mary and Christine Graham, who have run the café for the past 26 years, want certainty and do not want to face bidding against global coffee chain powerhouses to get premises in the revamped station.
In 2019 the Scottish Government committed up to £15 million towards the development of the Perth Bus/Rail Interchange through the Tay Cities Regional Deal. However, in September 2025 councillors learnt the project had hit the buffers over land negotiations with Network Rail.
Project delays and alternative options
An options appraisal completed in June 2025 said that Network Rail clarified its “ability to release any potential land to support a fully integrated ‘Bus and Rail Station’ will not be recognised for considerable time, if at all”. As a result, the appraisal identified preferred options as: a redeveloped bus station on the existing site; improving public space on the existing railway station car park to create an improved and more accessible gateway to the city centre; a new car park; an active travel hub at the former Arnold Clark site on St Leonard’s Bank, and better pedestrian and accessible links to the city centre.
This week, a Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “The area around the bus and railway stations has been identified by the council as a key location for future development and regeneration. We are in the early stages of planning for the replacement of the current bus station with a modern, fit-for-purpose facility that improves accessibility, passenger services, safety and the overall experience for station users, while providing a more welcoming gateway to the city.”
Café owners' concerns and public support
Over the past 26 years, Christine and Mary have gone above and beyond providing customer service to passengers using the bus station. Christine said: “We’ve supplied toilet rolls for the public toilets. We opened and closed the temporary portable toilets when they were installed, as no council staff were available to do this.” The pair also provide bus information to passengers “on a daily basis” and help vulnerable and elderly passengers.
The pair have already paid the council £50,000 in goodwill as well as rent for the last 26 years. They said: “We simply don’t have the money to start again or pay another large upfront sum. Businesses are still trying to recover from the impact of COVID, and starting from scratch just isn’t a realistic option for many.” Christine added: “It’s easy to find an empty building - Perth city centre’s full of them.”
For Christine and Mary their bus station location is key to their business. They said: “We don’t want another premises. A building is nothing - it’s about our people! We have great loyal customers, who we have built a relationship with over the years, and - if we relocate - a lot of them wouldn’t be able to still visit and that has broken our hearts.”
The online petition now has over 1000 signatures and over 700 people have signed the paper petition in the café.
