A partially sighted pensioner with learning difficulties was left waiting on a Moray bus for four hours.
James Buchan, 67, had been waiting at Elgin Bus Station trying to get to Inverness when a number of cancellations happened.
He was attempting to get a Stagecoach bus which would have got him to his friend’s house in the Highland capital on a Sunday a few weeks ago.
But the number 10 Aberdeen to Inverness bus was repeatedly cancelled.
Eventually, he gave up and managed to catch the 35 home to Mosstodloch after a four-hour wait.
“I thought I would just give up and go home”, he said.
Although he managed to find himself a seat at the station, the repeated cancellations have led him to label the service “pathetic”.
Bus service worse in Moray than Aberdeen
Mr Buchan, who has been riding buses since 1976 due to his inability to drive a car, said he could not remember a time when the service was worse.
He had previously lived in Aberdeen but moved to Moray a few years ago.
“The buses were fine in Aberdeen, but have got worse now”, he said.
“Up here they are pathetic. If I was to go to Aberdeen I would probably be stranded there.”
Moray Council bus service more reliable
But Mr Buchan said he has been having more success with Moray Council’s dial-a-bus service.
He said he can make a call and arrange an appointment and they consistently turn up.
Although some councillors believe a council-operated bus service is not a long-term solution to get patients to their hospital appointments.
What is the problem with Moray’s buses?
The long-running problem with Moray’s bus services is understood to originate from a recent exodus of Stagecoach drivers who have left the company.
Although there is a national shortage, the lack of drivers has been especially noticeable in Moray.
The operator has been cancelling several services every day for the last week as bosses struggle to fulfil the timetable.
Another bus user and friend of Mr Bucha’s, Phillip Kennedy, said he has raised the unreliability issue with controllers before but was told: “What do you want me to do? I don’t have any drivers”.
Mr Buchan believes action needs to be taken now because “if the situation keeps going the way it is going it will not be good”.
“The drivers are not getting paid enough, that is the problem.”
What is Stagecoach doing about the driver shortage?
A Stagecoach spokeswoman said: “We are continuing to face some staffing challenges which are having an impact on some of our bus services in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
“We are actively recruiting for trainee and qualified bus drivers and also have a number of drivers progressing through our training school at present.
“Our teams are working incredibly hard to ensure the vast majority of local services continue to run as normal.
“We appreciate that cancellations are frustrating and would like to sincerely thank all of our passengers for their patience and understanding.”
Stagecoach has stressed passengers are being kept informed of changes to services through social media, by phone and through the company’s app.
