Better Buses Barrhead
By Corra Foundation
All aboard! Barrhead group battles to bring back bus service
Rena McGuire’s heart sank in late 2022 when she heard that her local bus service, the no 52, was to be axed after 20 years of wending its way through Dunterlie and Barrhead in East Renfrewshire.
As long-standing community activist, Rena was simply never going to grin and bear the removal of such an important lifeline service. Rena’s righteous ire was fuelled by the lack of notice that the local bus service was going to be axed, and that the service withdrawal was largely unpublicised to the very people affected.
And as Rena is quick to point out, local people were definitely going to be negatively affected by the withdrawal.
“Dunterlie is not a wealthy area, and lots of people here are older or live with disabilities. Without a bus service it was going to be much more difficult to get to the shops, the health centre, the library, the community centre, five local schools, the post office and importantly, to the local food share. So many people were going to be left isolated or dependent on the goodwill of others for lifts or running errands.”
“We all know that some bus routes are not particularly well used, but there is a failure to do proper community consultation. If McGills, the bus company concerned, had only consulted with local people, we could have contributed ideas and local knowledge to make improvements to the timetable and the route. Cancelling it was a huge blow to area – we really, really need a bus service.”
Although Rena started campaigning on her own (and, as she puts it, making a nuisance of herself) she wasn’t the only person dismayed about the loss the of the service. Along with many other local people, a petition was organised and circulated, and meetings with local councillors, SPT and McGills were organised.
This informal group’s determined campaigning resulted in a three month extension of the service, but that was only a stopgap, the service was formally pulled in May 2023. But far from being the end of the road for Rena, she ramped up her efforts and got the Dunterlie Action Group and many more local people involved via a survey and packed public meetings. These efforts resulted in the formation of the Better Buses Barrhead group with several members of the community stepping up to lend support.
Local community worker Neill explains that circulating a survey was a critical step in the campaign, and that the findings were used as powerful evidence of need.
“We discovered that not only did the vast majority of local people want the service to be reinstated, it became clear that the route actually needs to be extended to include a new housing estate and other parts of Barrhead. The area actually needs a bus service more than ever.”
Despite the group’s best efforts, it quickly became clear that the route was not going to be reinstated, and that they’d have to investigate community transport options for Barrhead. Supported by Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT), BBB began to climb an even steeper learning curve. Group member Claire is clear that there was much more to the process than they first imagined.
“We’ve been to meet other community transport groups and it was bit of a wake–up call – so many things have to be considered. It’s not as simple as just buying a bus – we’ve had to learn about transport legislation, timetable and route planning, permits, licenses, how many vehicles and drivers will be needed, and even how and where we’re going to store the vehicle overnight.”
Despite the many considerations and hurdles to be overcome, the Better Buses Barrhead group are more determined than ever to bring a bus service back to an area that really needs it. A new route and timetable have already been developed in conjunction with local people, and with the support of SPT and East Renfrewshire Council, it’s hoped a trial service might start in 2026, with Barrhead’s brand new community bus service on the road from 2027.
BBB continue to keep the community up to speed, and next steps involve becoming constituted as a charity. But everyone is keeping eyes firmly on getting a bus service back.
As group member Claire says:
“You really should be able to get around your own community by bus and that’s exactly what we hope we’ll be doing soon. We can’t wait to be waving to our friends and neighbours as they pass by on the bus!”
*The BBB group aim to keep momentum going throughout 2026, starting with their next public meeting on Wednesday 28 January at 1pm in The Museum, Barrhead