Improving Our Transport System

Have you ever waited for a bus in Tayport? Services to Dundee run every 30 minutes – or thereabouts. Sometimes it’s only one bus an hour. And if you want to go to nearby Newport-on-Tay, you could have a two-hour wait. Shank’s pony gets you there faster.

But people shouldn’t have to walk to stay connected (or, as I had to, get to a GP’s appointment). Reliable transport isn’t a luxury – it’s a lifeline for work, school, healthcare and community.

SNP politicians using their limos to get to football games don’t understand that.

Too many rural and small-town services across North East Fife have been cut or downgraded:

In 2024, Stagecoach scrapped its 36 service between Perth and Glenrothes – a vital link for places like Newburgh and the Howe of Fife – and then the next year, cut Tayport off from the rest of North East Fife, forcing travellers to go into Dundee to get to St Andrews.
Meanwhile, the SNP Government axed the Bus Partnership Fund – having only allocated a tiny part of the original fund to Fife to begin with.
Subsidising essential bus routes soared by nearly 90% after the pandemic. The system is no longer working for the people who need it most.

For 18 years, the SNP has promised to improve public transport. The reality here in North East Fife? Cancelled services, reduced routes and communities cut off. Rural areas are being left behind.

As a Scottish Labour candidate, I’ll continue pushing for:

Reliable and frequent bus services in Tayport, Newburgh, Springfield and other underserved communities so we’re not stuck waiting an hour (or more)
A bus network that puts people first, not profit, including exploring council-run services where that makes sense
Affordable, accessible, regular transport so everyone can get to work, school, the doctors or the coffee shop without barriers

Rural communities can’t wait any longer. I’ll push for real investment, not empty promises, so everyone can travel safely, affordably and on time. That’s the Fife North East I want to build.