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bus chaos
THE MAIN bus operator on the Isle of Lewis ceased trading this week, throwing nine services into doubt, and with the loss of 15 jobs.
Stornoway-based John Mitchell Ltd and the associated Western Lewis Coaches Ltd, which operate across the island and in Stornoway itself, have refused to sign a new three-year subsidy contract with Western Isles Council which would have given them at least £26,000 a year. Managing director Ian Mitchell is unhappy with a clause in the contract which gives the council powers to change times, frequencies, and routes of buses. He says this amounts to municipalisation of the business.
All other members of the Western Isles Bus Operators' Association have signed the deal, and the council has talked with four on how to cover Mitchell's routes.