Moray villagers who faced being left stranded after the cancellation of their only bus service will be able to use a council-operated alternative to attend medical appointments.
The local authority came to the rescue of residents in Garmouth and Kingston, after Stagecoach scrapped its route between the neighbouring villages and Elgin.
The council runs a replacement bus between Garmouth, Kingston, Lhanbryde and Elgin five times a day.
That service will now be expanded to include trips to Mosstodloch and Fochabers for those who need to attend appointments at the medical centre in Fochabers.
Currently, spaces need to be reserved on the bus by the previous day at the latest – but the revised scheme will allow people to book journeys on the day of travel.
The council said that the improvements were being introduced in response to requests from Garmouth and Kingston residents who have been given on-the-day appointments at the Fochabers medical centre.
But a spokesman stressed it would still be best to book travel in advance “wherever possible”.
Fochabers Lhanbryde councillor Sean Morton had urged council officers to investigate upgrading the service.
Councillor Morton said: “This is not an easy task to manage the logistics of, so I am very grateful to everyone who has worked hard to make this possible.
“It is such a relief that people will be able to get from Garmouth and Kingston to their emergency GP appointments.
“That is one less worry for them when something is wrong.”
The changes will come into effect on Tuesday, August 16.
