Gregor Poynton MP has launched a new constituency-wide campaign calling on residents to share their experiences of local bus services ahead of Lothian Country’s upcoming autumn timetable changes.
The campaign, Your Bus. Your Journey. Your Say, will give residents across the Livingston constituency the opportunity to have their say on local bus services and help shape the case for improvements.
The campaign follows a year of campaigning by Gregor alongside residents and community groups, which helped secure important improvements to local bus services, including the return of bus services to Livingston Village and enhancements to routes serving Broxburn, Fauldhouse, Eliburn and surrounding communities.
Unfinished business
Gregor has welcomed those improvements and the constructive engagement his office has had with Lothian Country, but said there is still more to do to ensure public transport keeps pace with the needs of communities across the Livingston constituency.
Residents continue to raise concerns about the frequency, reliability, accessibility and coverage of local bus services.
In parts of Broxburn, some residents remain without convenient access to the 72 service, with some having to walk across the town to reach the nearest bus stop.
Dechmont still has no direct 72 connection to Livingston town centre or St John’s Hospital, while residents in Livingston Village continue to raise concerns about the frequency of services.
Residents in communities including Addiewell, Longridge, Stoneyburn and Adambrae have also highlighted concerns around accessibility, reliability and connectivity.
Call for evidence
With communities across the Livingston constituency continuing to grow, Gregor said it is vital that the local transport network grows with them, ensuring people can get to work, education, healthcare, shops and other essential services.
Gregor said: “Good public transport is a lifeline for many people across the Livingston constituency, and when services don’t work, it can have a real impact on people’s daily lives.
“We have already shown that campaigning can deliver improvements, but I know from speaking to residents that there is still unfinished business.
“With Lothian Country preparing its autumn timetable changes, this is the right time to listen to residents and make sure their experiences are properly understood.
“I want as many people as possible to complete the survey, whether you use the bus every day, occasionally, or believe your community needs a better service.
“The more people who take part, the stronger the evidence I can take to Lothian Country when making the case for better, more reliable and better-connected services.”
Survey details
The Your Bus. Your Journey. Your Say survey asks residents about their experiences of local bus services, including what is working well, what is not working and what changes they would like to see.
Gregor is encouraging anyone who lives in the Livingston constituency to take part. Residents do not need to be regular bus users to respond.
Those who have stopped using local buses because of poor reliability, frequency or a lack of suitable services are also being encouraged to share their experiences.
The campaign is intended to gather evidence from across the Livingston constituency, helping to identify common problems as well as specific gaps affecting individual communities.
The information gathered will be used by Gregor to build a detailed picture of local transport needs, including travel patterns, service gaps, reliability and opportunities for improvement.
The findings will then inform his discussions with Lothian Country, other transport providers and the Scottish Government.
Gregor has already written to Lothian Country ahead of the autumn timetable changes, welcoming the improvements delivered over the past year while highlighting the concerns that continue to be raised by residents.
He has also requested a meeting with Lothian Country to discuss the findings from the campaign, hear more about its plans for the upcoming timetable changes and explore where further improvements could be made.
Residents can take part in the Your Bus. Your Journey. Your Say campaign by completing Gregor’s online survey by logging onto https://actionnetwork.org/forms/bus-survey/
