Buses play a central role in the public transport network of the Highlands and Islands.
Direct bus services to areas outside the region operate from Inverness, Campbeltown, Fort William, Oban and Skye. Most routes tend to be served by only one operator meaning that competition, where it exists, tends to come from rail services.
There is often a reliance on home to school transport services, and for some communities there is no public transport at all. |
 |
Subsidised bus services make up a large proportion of the local bus network in the region. This is particularly the case across the island networks and in the far north and west mainland. The remainder of the local bus network consists of commercially run services, at least during the day, over which local authorities have limited influence. Many places are served by both local services and the longer-distance coach network, yet limited frequencies away from all but the main routes severely limit opportunities for commuting and travelling to other time-sensitive destinations.
Local transport services tend to consist of radial bus services out of the main built up areas, such as Inverness, Elgin, Oban, Thurso, Kirkwall and Stornoway. Many of these services will be at most hourly Monday to Saturday. Many places have only three or four buses per day and some of the more remote areas have only a daily Postbus or school bus. In the most remote areas, bus services tend to consist of a morning service and an afternoon service, perhaps with the addition of a shopping run in the middle of the day.
|
