At the 2023 council budget, the SNP council administration forced through cuts to council-supported bus services which sadly meant that the 204 service across parts of the West End was axed along with other services including the sheltered housing shopping bus service.
The service ended on 31st March 2024 and although the Liberal Democrat Group budget proposals this year would have restored the service, SNP councillors voted this down 15-5.
Incredibly, more than a year on, the bus timetables at bus stops along the 204 route were still in place a few weeks ago for a non-existent bus service! See photo example at the bus shelter on Magdalen Yard Road near to Step Row/Paton's Lane.
The City Council promised to remove them after our raising this.
We also pointed out that leaving a good conditioned bus shelter for a route with no buses made no sense. Whilst the LibDem Group will continue to campaign to restore the service, this will not happen until the SNP council majority is removed at the 2027 council election.
We also highlighted the bus shelter issue and the senior transport officer has now advised as follows :
"Our team is aware of the redundant bus stop in question.
Due to its size and configuration, it is not suitable for relocation at all sites, as it requires a specific width of footway.
We are actively working on finding suitable sites for relocations across the city."