Fed-up residents in Lochwinnoch fear the cancellation of a late-night bus service could cost them a small fortune in taxi fares.


Bosses at Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) have confirmed the axing of McGill’s 307 service which runs between Johnstone and the village at 11.20pm on Mondays to Thursdays.


They say the service is often completely unused – but Gerald McCoy insists he relied on the bus to get home after working a late shift at Glasgow Central station. 


Mr McCoy, 59, who suffers from lung condition Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, said: “I can’t walk home from Lochwinnoch train station and the taxi fares from Johnstone could cost me hundreds of pounds. 


“I know it is not a really busy bus but it is a safety issue, as the train station is so far from the village itself.


“I already get let away early from my shifts due to my condition so I can make the bus but I can’t ask them to accommodate me any more.”


Councillor Andy Doig, who represents Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch, said the withdrawal of the service has left many villagers unhappy.


He added: “This service was suddenly cut by SPT and people are angry and worried as this is a lifeline for them.


“I am angry that there has been no consultation with either the local community or local ward councillors about why the late bus service has gone. McGill’s say it was not used but this is simply not true.


“I demand answers from SPT. 


“These Lochwinnoch constituents are faced with a stark choice now – pay hundreds of pounds per month for taxis or maybe even give up work altogether as they cannot get home.


“I am particularly incensed as, for some of my female constituents, this is not simply a matter of convenience but also of personal safety.


“Surely, in 2018, SPT can do better than this? I call on them to reinstate the service.”


However, a spokesperson for SPT said: “We undertook surveys which identified that the 11.21pm journey, Monday to Thursday, carried an average of less than one person over the weekdays, with nobody at all on some nights.


“As a result of this, the journey has been withdrawn, although it remains in place on Friday and Saturday nights.”


A spokesperson for McGill’s declined to comment when approached by The Gazette.