Inverness County Council rapped
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• At a hearing in Dingwall last week the Traffic Commissioners rapped Inverness county council for failing to make its objections personally. The local authority, which submitted a written objection to Highland Omnibuses Ltd's proposal to withdraw certain bus services in the Great Glen, had told the Commissioners the council would not be represented at the hearing and asked them to take its views into consideration.
Mr A. B. Birnie the chairman, commented: "It makes it very difficult for us if they don't come." The Commissioners did, however, take the council's views into account, but decided to approve the application by the bus company.
Traffic manager Mr William Steele said that, in a bid to rationalize the economies, the company was reducing the four daily return trips between Inverness and Fort William to three; reducing the services between Inverness and Fort Augustus to one and completely cutting the Fort Augustus /Fort William run.
The county council had objected at the effect re-scheduling would have on pupils going to school.
Mr Steele said the firm had re-timed one of the runs because of the council's views, but was unable to concede any other points. Passenger traffic on the routes in question had drastically reduced and the route was at present over supplied.
The Commissioners also approved an application by the company to streamline its services to Badenoch. It sought to open a new service in conjunction with W. Alexander and Son (Northern) Ltd, between Elgin and Aviemore.
The run between Forres and Newtonmore is to be dropped from the schedules and the services between Inverness and Grantown and Aviemore and Fort William re-arranged. • Mr Birnie expressed concern that this would leave no service across Dava Moor and he noted that Moray county council had lodged no objection although it had sent a letter stating that it did not approve of Highland's proposals.
He asked for a report on the viability of a service between Forres and Dunphail, if required, and asked that Moray be reminded that it could subsidize such a route.
Mr Steele explained later: "We will be providing daily services between Elgin and Aviemore. In effect, the new service combines the most remunerative parts of the old Elgin-Grantown and Forres-Aviemore runs. It will mean fewer buses going through Grantown. but it will, we maintain, be an adequate service for our passengers. We hope that the new run will make the service more attractive and generate more tourist traffic." he added.