September Police Report

by Communications TEAM | Sep 14, 2020 | announcement

Police Scotland have shared their report for September with us in advance of our meeting on Tuesday 15th. A copy is attached.

BOFA CC Police Report – September 15th. (1)

First Midland announce service improvements 

by Communications TEAM | Sep 9, 2020 | announcement

Revised timetable on service 51 that will see two buses an hour extend through to connect Clackmannan with Alloa & Stirling.

• Resumption of Uni link service timetable to coincide with new Stirling University term for students.
• Stirling University night service reinstated with journeys operating between 2330 and 0115 (approx). Buses will now operate to Alexander Court instead of University Bus Hub. In Stirling City Centre, buses will now start and finish at Goosecroft Road.
• First Midland are offering customers some great savings on a wide range of fares for the new service X53 which connects Stirling, Dollar, Tillicoultry and Kinross. 
• Customers can plan their journey, buy their ticket, track their bus and check its capacity in real time using the innovative First Bus app.
• Customers can also choose the best time of day to travel when planning their trip using the new Space Checker tool from First Bus. 

First Midland are delighted to announce a number of service improvements as they start to move back towards a pre-covid offering of services from Sunday, September 13^th.

The local bus operator has announced the return of a number of services that were suspended at the beginning of lockdown with popular services such as the Uni Link set to return and the brand new X53 Stirling to Kinross service set to launch, in preparation for the new student term time across the region.

The New X53 service will see links maintained along the Hillfoots between Stirling and Kinross, Monday to Saturday, connecting up popular destinations such as Stirling University, Dollar Academy, Tillicoultry and the Kinross park and ride facility at a two-hourly frequency. At peak times, there will be additional journey opportunities to support travel to Stirling University campus.

The new service offers some great value fares with all day tickets starting from £11.90 for Adults, £10.70 for Students and just £6 for children, which includes unlimited daily access to our entire First Midland network.

First Midland are also now extending the service 51 to serve Clackmannan with two buses an hour to fill the void left by the previous operator. This will see connections restored with Alloa and Stirling for residents of Clackmannan.

The Uni Link service will be restored for its semester timetable and the night buses will also be returning at the same time to support the return of students across the Forth Valley.

The Uni Link night service will resume with journeys operating between 2330 and 0115 (approx). Buses will now operate to Alexander Court instead of University Bus Hub. In Stirling City Centre, buses will now start and finish at Goosecroft Road.

Services 7 & 8 will also be reinstated in full for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, which will be welcome news for residents in Falkirk and the surrounding areas.

Customers can now plan their journey, buy their ticket, track their bus to their local stop and see how much capacity is available on their service in real time all from the First Bus App available on mobile and tablet from the Apple and Android stores.

First Bus are leading the way on innovation in bus travel and now passengers can also choose the best time of day to travel when planning their trip with the new Space Checker tool, which predicts how busy the bus will be in advance using the latest passenger trend data.

Graeme Macfarlan, Commercial Director at First Midland: “We are delighted to be ramping up services as we start to get back to a pre-covid level now. We are looking forward to welcoming back more customers to bus across the Forth Valley and we have made some key service improvements to offer more journey opportunities than before across the region.

“We look forward to serving customers along the new X53 route and with some great value fares on offer we hope that more people will consider using the bus more often as their mode of choice. We are especially keen to see more car users across the region to reconsider bus as an alternative option for travel as we look to do our part in a green recovery from the global pandemic that has affected us all.

“We are advising people to check their journey details in advance on our app or the website, avoid busier periods if they can, which are currently the afternoons and allow extra time for their journey. By using the innovative First Bus app or the Space Checker tool customers can now have the peace of mind of choosing the best time of day to travel that suits them.

“The wellbeing of customers and our team is my number one priority, and I would like to thank customers for their ongoing patience and co-operation in these difficult times. I would also like to pay tribute to all my colleagues at First Midland who have been superb throughout the last 6 months and have helped keep the key workers of the region moving. As the lockdown continues to ease, we all have a crucial role to play in getting the wider population moving again safely.”

Full details of the new service including timetables and fare information is available on the First Midland website:  www.firstscotlandeast.com

Stirling Council Media Release – Waste Transformation Projects approved

by Communications TEAM | Jul 2, 2020 | announcement

A package of transformational changes to waste collection services across the Stirling Council area were approved at a meeting of Stirling Council today (30 June).

With the ongoing Climate Emergency firmly at the top of the Council’s agenda, Councillors gave their backing to a suite of plans that will encourage a shift in culture to increase recycling, and bring a reduction in residential waste going to landfill.

Included in the measures which will have a phased introduction in the next two years are:

• A new four-weekly collection model for the grey (general waste) and blue (plastics, cans and cartons) bins, coming into effect by July 2021
• Roll out of new ‘comb lift’ bins to replace existing ‘diamond lift’ stock, starting February 2021
• Introduction of an opt-in garden waste collection permit (£35 per-year, per bin) by April 2021
• Combination of glass collection into blue bins alongside plastic, cans and cartons when the National Deposit Return Scheme arrives in July 2022.

Members approved the changes by 12 votes to 10, which aim to deliver a ‘Best in Class’ Waste Collection Service for the communities and residents of Stirling Council.

Crucial to the roll out of the changes will be communication and engagement that will take place with residents across the Stirling Council area in the coming months.

Residents will have the opportunity to raise any exceptional circumstances, such as households with large families or those with medical conditions.

In addition to the above, Councillors also agreed that continued work will be undertaken with the purpose of educating the general public through awareness campaigns, as well as ensuring a robust approach to enforcement and compliance with current and future service provision, including deployment of mobile CCTV if necessary to tackle fly tipping.

Convener of Environment and Housing, Cllr Jim Thomson, said: “The changes coming into play next year will be a considerable shift for our residents, and we accept that, but they are being made with the aim of changing the culture of waste disposal across the area.

“No culture change comes easily, so we pledge to take our residents with us, explain why we’re putting these changes in place and help people understand the benefits in the long term.”

Vice convener, Cllr Danny Gibson, said: “If we are serious about protecting the environment then these are the types of tough but necessary decisions we have to take.

“It’s also no secret that there have been issues with the diamond bins being swallowed by lorries, delays in replacements, and a consistent budgetary over-spend in the service in recent years.

“However, everything we have approved today is specifically tailored to address all these points, by improving route completion, bringing improvements to the environment and mitigating the significant overspend pressures currently being experienced by Waste Services.

“Ultimately these changes will help us all put less waste in the ground and run a smoother, more efficient and cost-effective waste collection service, which is better for everyone in the Council area.”