Funding secured for new and improved Levenmouth bus services

A plan to improve bus services in Levenmouth to complement the imminent return of rail services to the area has been approved by local councillors.

The Levenmouth Area Committee agreed to fund the delivery of the bus services via the Levenmouth Reconnected Programme with £1.75 million being allocated for a combination of new and enhanced bus services serving communities across Levenmouth over the next three years to improve connectivity and transport access to employment and key services including education, health and leisure facilities.

Three options were drawn up following a feasibility study and extensive consultation, and a hybrid of the three has been assessed as best suited to help improve connectivity relative to cost, benefits, patronage, and long-term viability.

The proposed service improvements are:

• 43 and 44 – Current Fife Council evening and Sunday service 43. Operates 1830-0030, 0800-0030 hourly.
• 49 – Current Fife Council and Sunday service 49. Existing service revised to become a circular service 48 and 49 to provide bus/rail connections. Operates 1830-0030, 0800-0030 hourly.
• 48 and 49 – New early morning, Monday to Saturday journeys. 0500-0630. Two journeys service 48, two journeys service 49.
• 47 and 47A – New daytime service providing direct links between Kennoway and Cameron Bridge Rail Station, extending to Leven Bus Station. 0500-0030 hourly.  Evening and Sunday service direct links between Cameron Bridge Rail to Leven Bus Station.
• 7 – New early morning and late evening, Monday to Sunday, journeys providing bus/rail connections. 0500-0715, 2300-0030. Two morning journeys, two late night journeys.
• 95 – New Monday to Saturday early morning journeys and Sunday evening journey between Anstruther - St Monans – Elie - Upper Largo - Lower Largo - Lundin Links to Leven Bus Station. 0500-0800, 2330-0015. Morning journeys, one late night journey from Leven.

The funding support for the new bus services is being offered over a three-year period to allow them to grow patronage and hopefully become more attractive to commercial operators to run without Council subsidy.

Councillor Colin Davidson, convener of the Levenmouth Area Committee, said: “We all want to see connectivity improved across Levenmouth and encourage more people to use sustainable public transport, so this option provides a good balance between identified service needs and value for money.

“The revisions proposed will give everyone in Levenmouth a higher level of service, while the new services put forward will not only provide more direct links to the rail stations but will also better connect our coastal communities.”

Further details on the new services including start dates and timetables will be confirmed as soon as possible.

Notes:

The £10m Levenmouth Reconnected Programme, with equal £5m funding by Fife Council and Transport Scotland, was created to maximise opportunities for social, economic, and environmental regeneration benefits through the opening of the Leven Rail Link.

Monitoring of patronage and the revenue from the supported bus services will be continuous and reported to the Levenmouth Area Committee at the end of each year.

The data will confirm how services are performing in terms of patronage/demand and whether there is a need to consider a revision to services/journeys, or if they have become commercially independent and no longer requiring funding.

Any proposal to alter services would be brought to the Levenmouth Area Committee for approval as part of the regular monitoring.