McGill's may have to 'withdraw completely' from Inverkip

Alex Hornby has written to director of environment and regeneration Stuart Jamieson to highlight issues affecting the punctuality of services.

In his letter, Mr Hornby identifies Inverkip as a ‘key hotspot’ in which a lack of parking controls are making bus navigation ‘extremely awkward and time consuming’.

He notes that drivers of the ClydeFlyer 901 and 906 services - both of which stop on Main Street in Inverkip - often experience difficulties in accessing the A78 when leaving the village eastbound, extending journey times and leaving passengers waiting further along the route.

Alex Hornby (Image: McGill's)

Writing to Mr Jamieson, Mr Hornby said: “The customer’s number one demand is punctuality and we invest heavily to meet this with our on street team to monitor buses in real time; an in-house control centre; local depot duty managers; and punctuality panels, our range of local internal colleague forums that meet every month to review data to create improvements.

“The increased congestion in Inverclyde is meaning that we will need to add in more operating hours – and cost – to keep these services punctual.

“I believe you and members are aware of this but the situation has continued to deteriorate.

“If it remains unchecked we are contemplating having to withdraw from Inverkip completely.

Main Street, Inverkip (Image: Street View)

“Our preference is that we - and our customers and our drivers - get the support we need to allow us to serve Inverkip effectively.

“If this is forthcoming, you can expect us to not just maintain services but also increase them, rerouting service 901 and restoring the through link to Gourock.”

Mr Hornby also raised concerns regarding illegal parking at Wemyss Bay Railway Station.

He said: “Our bus stops here are often blocked, meaning we cannot access the kerbside safely and buses have to block the carriageway in order to drop off and pick up customers.

“This is again a long-standing problem that has seen little action.”

Wemyss Bay station (Image: Street View)

Mr Hornby has asked Inverclyde Council to address the problems raised by the end of February, saying that the timeline is ‘critical’ due to the bus operator’s planned network enhancements in May.

Inverclyde Council has now organised a meeting in order to address the concerns raised by McGill's.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “Enforcement officers regularly patrol our town and village centres, including Inverkip and Wemyss Bay, and take action as required, such as issuing fixed penalty notices where a vehicle has contravened local parking rules.

“That being said, this is a good opportunity to remind all drivers of their obligations to park considerately and in line with parking regulations and be respectful of other road users.

“A letter from Mr Hornby was received on Sunday and a reply was sent.

“We welcome feedback, as well as suggestions as to what changes, if any, could be made.

“A meeting has now been organised with relevant council services to discuss the issues raised and see if there is anything that can be done to improve conditions in these locations.”