PAY PHONES aren’t paying their way in these days of mobile phones and British Telecom wants to axe 20 in some of Kintyre’s most remote locations – even spots where there is little or no mobile phone signal.
There are a total of 294 pay phones in Argyll and Bute and 254 of them are unprofitable so BT wants to act. This would mean that many parts of Kintyre could be without a lifeline and BT is now obliged to have a consultation period with local councils to decide which ones will be removed. This will last for 90 days and will end on July 2 after two meetings have been held at Holyrood and at the House of Commons.
The phones in Glenbarr, Muasdale, and two pay phones in Tayinloan all face the axe; so too do phones in villages including Torrisdale, Drumlemble, Kilkenzie and Carradale, which could have a crucial effect on their village life. Not everyone wants or can afford to have a mobile phone.
The move has angered the Argyll and Bute MP
Alan Reid, who said: ‘Rural pay phones can be a lifeline, especially in the many parts of Argyll and Bute where there is no mobile phone signal.
‘Vandalism’
‘There is no justification for this piece of vandalism on BT’s part. It is a huge, profitable company and can well afford to make a small loss on the pay phone part of its business.’
BT claims that the number of calls made from its pay phones has more than halved in the last three years due to the increase in mobile phone ownership throughout the UK.
A spokeswoman for BT said: ‘Almost 60 per cent of our Payphones are unprofitable, with almost 6,000 phones making less than one call a month. Payphone use has halved in the last three years and calls are still declining at 20 per cent, year-on -year.
‘Any removal of unprofitable Payphones is carried out in strict adherence to the Ofcom guidelines and where appropriate with the consent of the local communities. In Scotland, we have 5,883 Payphones and 61 per cent are unprofitable.’
