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West Coast Motors will be back running Citylink’s Oban and Campbeltown routes from September 29. To buy: c29bus01 |
WEST COAST Motors will once again be running the Scottish City link routes between Glasgow, Oban and Campbeltown from this autumn.
The two companies have agreed terms, which will see West Coast Motors back in the driver’s seat from September 29 when the Campbeltown based firm will resume as contractor for Citylink.
The two bus companies have been in talks recently over the renewal of the contract after it expired earlier this year in May.
Then, West Coast put its own liveried coaches on the road and Scottish Citylink drafted in other contractors to run its services.
Back then Colin Craig managing director of West Coast Motors said: ‘The terms we were being offered were not commercially viable’. On average, around 4000 people travel from Oban and Campbeltown to Glasgow by bus every week.
Scottish Citylink confirmed on Tuesday ‘that negotiations had been successful and terms had been agreed for the two parties to continue working together’.
Colin Craig, Managing Director of West Coast Motors, said: ‘We are very happy to have agreed terms that will restore network stability for the foreseeable future which is good news for our customers. Our dedicated team of staff will continue to provide the very highest standards of coach travel in partnership with Scottish Citylink.’
West Coast Motors had operated the services on behalf of Scottish City link for 22 years until May; from September the services will run on West Coast Motors branded buses.
West Coast Motors has its headquarters in Campbeltown and has depots at Ardrishaig,
Oban, Dunoon, Rothesay and Glasgow. The firm employs 276 people; West Coast Motors also owns Glasgow City Bus and City Sightseeing Glasgow with its open-top tourist buses.
Tom Wileman, managing director at Scottish Citylink, said: ‘We are delighted to confirm that we will be continuing our long relationship with West Coast Motors, after reaching an agreement over the renewal of our contract with them.
‘Working together, we have been able to offer passengers a reliable, convenient and inexpensive way to travel from Oban and Campbeltown to Glasgow and we look forward to doing so again in the future.’
From September 29, the timetable and frequency of services from Oban and Campbeltown to Glasgow will revert to Citylink’s current timetable of three services a day in each direction and can be booked via Citylink website and any West Coast Motors office.
