First Group have announced the termination of all of their routes to and from Penicuik.
From 10 June 2012 First Group will cancel their 141 and 142 bus routes. This comes after they announced the closure of their Dalkeith bus depot meaning redundancies of 200 members of staff. A rescue deal by another local bus operator, thought to be Lothian Buses, fell through meaning that all bus routes tendered by First currently will not be rescued and the jobs of the staff cannot be saved.
However, the First bus routes to and from Penicuik have been declining in popularity over the past few years and with prices continually being raised people chose to turn to the more modern buses and cheaper prices of Lothian. So when it comes down to it how many people will actually care? One pupil from Beeslack Community High School will. Katy Szpunar lives in Bonnyrigg and the 141 service is the only mode of transport for her to get to school. She also owns a bus pass which will effectively be voided. She told us:
“It is such an unnecessary disruption that did not need to happen and will affect Beeslack greatly”
For her a contingency plan will have to be made as it is highly unlikely that the route will ever be salvaged.
Update: Beeslack High School’s buses which are operated by First will also be cancelled in June. Alternative operators are being sought.