As of April 27, FirstBus is scrapping its number nine service, which runs to Buchanan Bus Station, because of a fall in passenger numbers.

Scores of Linwood and Paisley residents still rely on the service to get to work or go about their daily business and Councillor Stuart Clark felt he had to act to try to stop FirstBus’ coverage of the route being killed off.

Despite a strong plea to the bus operator to keep the number nine service running, the firm has decided to cease runs between the towns.

But The Gazette can reveal that McGill’s buses, which already has a number seven service which travels from Linwood to Paisley, said it will make up for the shortfall in journeys — after we alerted them to FirstBus’ decision to pull out of the area.

Ralph Roberts, managing director, said: “We will step in and increase coverage of the route.” John Cahill, operations director with FirstBus, confirmed that the number nine run would soon be stopping in Paisley due to a fall in the number of passengers using the service.

He told Councillor Clark the service had been earmarked for the chop because it was, “just not carrying sufficient passengers between Paisley and Linwood to justify the cost of its operation”.

He added: “In the event of this change being made, passengers in Linwood would still be able to enjoy a good level of service on this route as McGill’s service seven operates on a high frequency basis.” Following Mr Cahill’s response, Councillor Clark — who represents Linwood — pulled out all the stops to try to ensure his constituents can still travel between Paisley and Linwood easily.

As well as writing to FirstBus and urging the firm to halt the plans to scrap the Linwood leg of the number nine service, he also wrote to McGill’s to ask the company about ramping up its transport links between the towns.

He told The Gazette: “As soon as I became aware the number nine route may be under threat, I contacted FirstBus to raise concerns.

“I am worried about the impact of this. I know a number of people who use the number nine to get to work early and this cancellation could be very serious for them. I also worry about the impact on the cost of the other service in the area.

“I have contacted McGill’s to request a meeting to discuss whether there could be an extension of the number seven service and also ask for assurances about cost. “Many people in Linwood rely on this service and will be concerned about this.” In his letter to FirstBus, the Labour representative pleaded: “I would urge you to consider the impact on the community in Linwood who highly value the excellent service received from First Bus.

“There are a large number of residents with no car and, while I understand the point about the McGill’s service, there are concerns about the timetable and also impact on future costs. I hope this can be taken into account in reaching a final decision.” But his pleas fell on deaf ears, with FirstBus merely confirming that changes were inevitable.

Mr Cahill said: “I can only confirm that operating service nine to Linwood is no longer a commercially viable proposition for us and I’m afraid we have no reason to believe that this position will change.

“In such circumstances, we must give due consideration to all of the options open to us.

“We very much regret any inconvenience that will be caused to those passengers who use our route nine as their service of choice but unfortunately the customer numbers we’ve been recording clearly indicate that there are not enough passengers in this category to merit continuing to extend the service to Linwood.” A FirstBus spokesman said: “We carefully monitor the supply and demand for bus services across our network area.

“We will soon be formally registering a small number of service changes which will start on April 27, one of which will see a revised route and timetable on service nine. Buses will terminate in Paisley and the section of route between Paisley and Linwood will be withdrawn.

“This is because our buses are operating on that section of the route with only a small number of customers on board, which is not sustainable for us. The section of the route to be withdrawn is already well served by other bus operators so we expect bus users in the area to continue to have a good level of service.” A McGill’s spokesman said: “McGill’s is currently looking at the viability of which of the missing First number 9 journeys it will replace.

“There is no doubt that we will replace some but we are some days away from determining exactly which journeys we will cover.

“McGill’s values the custom it receives from Linwood residents and we will endeavour to ensure that people are not adversely impacted by First’s decision.” Councillor Stuart Clark added: “Having made contact with McGill’s I am hopeful that residents who are left in the lurch will be able to access additional services from them. “I have sought a meeting with McGill’s to discuss the impact of these changes on my constituents in Linwood. I want to discuss early and late services as well as pricing, particularly now there is a reliance on this company.

“Many people in Linwood are used to really value the regular bus service in the area, something envied by others. “It is important that residents continue to receive a good service.”