Urgent call for bus only Zonecard for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth passengers

That is the view of MSP Jamie Hepburn in the wake of the controversial withdrawal of the X5 service last month.

He is so convinced that a ‘bus only’ concession card for all firms is the only way forward that he has written to Strathclyde Passenger Transport, to argue that its Zonecard is no longer a bargain.

Although there are three stations in the area, many locals live nowhere near them, strengthening a dependence on buses. And few have any use for the subway which the card also covers the cost of.

Mr Hepburn has a number of approaches from his constituents who feel that they cannot make use of cards issued by the one bus firm and end up buying several.

This is still cheaper however than the Zonecard. He said: “They have raised concerns that the only way to travel to certain destinations now is to use a number of bus routes across several bus routes by several different operators.

“This means that they have to pay for a number of different bus passes,

“I have therefore written to SPT to ask them if they have given any consideration to a ‘bus only’ Zonecard or if this would be something they would be prepared to give some thought to.

“This would hopefully be a cheaper option for many as often those who would wish to use a Zonecard would only require to use it on buses.

“I believe this would be a sensible option to help relieve the strain on many hard-pressed families and employees who rely on public transport.”

For more on this issue, see this week’s edition.