Dumfries to Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas bus service faces uncertainty with operator set to withdraw
Swestrans seeks alternative transport options as McCalls Coaches announces withdrawal
The wheels are coming off bus transport provision in Dumfries again…after another operator announced it will be withdrawing services on a key route.
The 501 Dumfries to Kirkcudbright and Castle Douglas service is up in the air because the company that replaced Stagecoach last summer cannot continue this particular route.
McCalls Coaches was the only company that stepped up to take over this route from Stagecoach when the entire 501 service was at risk.
However, the partially-subsidised commercial contract was only for 12-months – and was to be reviewed halfway through.
The Lockerbie-based company have now confirmed that, despite a £60,000 subsidy, the 501 service has not been “commercially viable”. McCalls will now be forced to stop the service from August 2026.
Swestrans (The South West of Scotland Transport Partnership) has four months to try and find an alternative bus company for the 501 route – despite the fact that McCalls was the only company willing to take on the contract last year.
Simon Bradbury, lead officer for Swestrans, produced a bus update report for the recent Swestrans board meeting, explaining that the £60,000 subsidy was given to McCalls in a bid to make the 501 bus service more financially viable.
He wrote: “A six-month review point was agreed, whereby McCalls Coaches would have the opportunity to present their costs and fare revenue income to indicate whether they would operate the service on a commercial basis from August 2026. McCalls Coaches confirmed to SWestrans and council officers in a meeting on March 9, that they would not operate the 501 Monday to Saturday daytime service from August 2026 without subsidy.”
McCalls had effectively been providing two different services on the 501 route: Monday-Saturday daytime (commercial and partially subsidised), and Monday-Saturday evening and Sunday (fully subsidised).
The firm confirmed that they are not making enough money on the commercial part of the deal and have been forced to pull out after 12 months.
As a result, Swestrans will no longer renew the fully subsidised element of the agreement either.
Swestrans board members have chosen to go down a different route instead to try and keep the 501 service running.
Simon Bradbury wrote in his report: “It is recommended that the contract for the 501 Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday service, currently also operated by McCalls Coaches is terminated and included with the remainder of the 501 service as one commercial opportunity.
“This will represent the opportunity to obtain best value and maximise the attractiveness of the 501 service to potential operators.”
At the Swestrans meeting, Nith Councillor Keith Walters said: “I would hope that we are very confident that we are able to procure something as a full bundle rather than than taking it off that operator, terminating that contract, and then discovering that we are unable to procure the whole 501 service. Is that not a risk?”
Simon Bradbury replied: “The decision of McCalls to not operate that service on a commercial base moving forwards presents the opportunity to procure the service as one single route the same as we do with the majority of other routes across the network.”
A spokesperson for McCalls said: “At present, we are unable to comment due to legalities regarding the bus contract.”