The future of the Council funded Kingswells X14 bus service was secured at Aberdeen City Council’s budget meeting on 6th March 2024.

Speaking in the Council Chamber in support of the Kingswells bus, Steve Delaney, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Kingswells, Sheddocksley & Summerhill said, “Nobody will be surprised when I start off with the Kingswells bus service. For the benefit of members who joined us in 2022, the need for this service arose when FirstAberdeen declared the Kingswells service to be no longer commercially viable in 2017, leaving almost 2000 households with no public transport”.

“Effectively this meant people could not get to work, could not attend medical appointments and could not get out and about to meet friends and family”.

“The Kingswells bus was part funded from the General Fund and part funded through the Bus Lane Enforcement Monies (BLE) last year”.

“The BLE fund is the money raised from fines imposed for bus lane violations. There are restrictions in the use of this fund but public transport is one of these approved uses”.

“Today we move the entire cost to the BLE fund in order to remove this much needed service from the volatility of annual budget setting and to ensure the sustainability of the service for future years”.

“To date Kingswells has been the only part of our city left without a bus service. I thank all my Partnership colleagues for supporting this essential service and would remind all members that this could be inflicted on any of the communities you serve”.