Western SMT may :ut 3m miles
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In an attempt to prune unremunerative us services, Western SMT Co Ltd, the :ilmarnock-based Scottish Bus Group ubsidiary. is to apply to the Scottish Traffic :ommissioners to withdraw a total of 52 tage carriage services in the Border area unless local authorities concerned agree to assist the company by means of subsidies.
On January 22 Western SMT successfully applied to the Commissioners In Glasgow to withdraw services between Ayr and Adamton and Kilmarnock and Dairy.
The coming applications will be beard in Glasgow on March 23, when Western SMT will be applying to withdraw seven services, and in Dumfries on March 25, when the Commissioners will hear an application to withdraw 45 services.
If the subsidies, totalling £446,628, are not forthcoming Western SMT intends to curtail a total of 2,810,415 miles of unprofitable routes, including services in areas where, as yet, the local authorities have not been approached.
Referring to the ,application to be heard in Dumfries, a spokesman for Western SMT said: "Of the seven local authorities approached on the matter of subsidies only Dumfries county council has stated categorically that it will not make financial aid available by taking adNantage of Section 34 of the Transport Act 1968."
Mr R. S. Thompson, town clerk of Stranraer, told CM this week: "As this is the first time that councils in Scotland have been asked to subsidize bus services it is really too early at the moment to say what the outcome will be. However, discussions are taking place with the Western SMT and I hope a favourable solution will be reached."