X99 bus passengers have to pay 50p for toilet stop

PASSENGERS on the X99 bus from Caithness to Inverness have to pay 50p for a toilet stop in Dornoch, it has been claimed.

Castletown community councillor Brenda Herrick says the buses are unsuitable for elderly passengers and those with mobility problems. The toilet is upstairs but access to it is down several steps, making it difficult to use when the bus is travelling fast or going round corners.

The operator Stagecoach offers a comfort stop at Dornoch but passengers have to pay 50p to use the Highland Council toilet, Mrs Herrick said.

She said: "One of the main problems with the new buses is access to the on-board toilets which are down a steep, dark staircase with only a small handrail and a door that is not easy to open.

The front access staircase carries a warning sign at the top that it is not to be used when the bus is in motion. There is no such sign over the toilet stairs which are equally, if not more, dangerous when these buses are travelling at fairly high speeds and swinging around the many bends on the A9.

"Stagecoach's answer to this is to allow a comfort stop at Dornoch of, according to the consultation timetable, five or six minutes. If even half a dozen passengers need the toilet this is not enough time to descend the front steep stairs, walk to the toilets, possibly have to queue for a cubicle and then make the walk back. Another two trips on those stairs which cause problems for so many."

Mrs Herrick enquired if the Dornoch toilets have a 50p charge and was told they do.

"Has Stagecoach considered this? Will they recompense passengers for this charge, having forewarned them to ensure they have the necessary change or contactless card? Or will drivers be provided with 50p pieces?"

Mrs Herrick, who raised the issue at the community council meeting on Thursday night, said: "This bus is not suitable for this journey and the sooner Stagecoach recognises this and gives us back single-decker buses the better. Their reason for using the interdeck bus up here is the additional seating required but a change to the bus timetable could overcome this.

"The present arrangement for passengers from Thurso and Wick could continue with a change at Dunbeath but with one of these single-deck buses then a fast service between Dunbeath and Inverness and the other stopping at all points between. This would reduce the number of passengers on each and overcome the seating and toilet problem. I have suggested this but it seems not to have even been considered," she said.

A spokeswoman for Stagecoach said: "All of our vehicles operating between Inverness and Caithness meet all accessibility legislation. We introduced these vehicles to the X99 route in November 2018 to provide an additional 10 per cent capacity and since their introduction we have seen an increase in the passenger numbers on the service.

"Due to the specifications our contracted services must operate to, we are required to use coach-type vehicles on the majority of our services in the Caithness area. We are aware of the desire for more low-floor vehicles in Caithness and will keep this in mind as we review our fleet throughout the full North Scotland company."

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