Aberdeenshire Moray Timetable Consultation04 Feb 2020 to 16 Feb 2020
Stagecoach Bluebird is inviting customers to give feedback on proposed changes to timetables.
For a number of years, public feedback received during consultation has really shaped the local bus network offering better connections for the local communities to the places that matter most to them.
The proposals come following an extensive review of the network and travel habits in the area. Customer research has shown that many find travelling by bus confusing and difficult to understand and Stagecoach Bluebird hope that their revised timetables will make it much easier for non existing bus users to try travelling by bus. The consultation is open until Sunday 16th February with the new timetables proposed to begin operation on Monday 6th April 2020.
Changes in the Buchan area will see communities benefit from a revised network that has been designed to better meet the demand for services from the various towns in the area. A new town service will be introduced in Ellon as well as faster journey times to/from Aberdeen as a result of a reduction of the number of stops being served between Aberdeen and Tipperty.
In Inverurie journeys are also set to be quicker to Aberdeen with more service 10 journeys being introduced in line with customer demand. Services 37/X37 and 10 have served the town for years but the regular bus users know that their journey can be much quicker on service 10, so journeys using the 37 route have been reduced to meet demand and more service 10 journeys are to be introduced. Communities in Huntly and Keith will benefit from more journeys in the morning and afternoon peaks to address previous capacity issues on the popular bus service.
One of the biggest changes proposed comes for Kingswells, Countesswells and Westhill with service X17 being split to services 4, 5 and 6. The new routes will offer fast and frequent links to Aberdeen from Westhill, Prime Four and Kingswells Park and Ride. The service from Kingswells Park and Ride to the city centre is proposed to increase from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes. A route revision in Westhill will also see a reduction in journey times for getting to the city centre by bus. Residents in Countesswells will no longer have to change bus at Kingswells Park and Ride to get to the city centre as the bus will operate direct between Countesswells and Union Square Bus Station. More morning journeys have been introduced to offer commuters a more attractive service for getting to the city centre.
In Deeside, the service 201 timetable has been simplified for customers and the route variations have been reduced. As a result of this, it is proposed that Banchory will welcome back a local daytime town service connecting the most popular places in the town. Service to Lumphanan and Torphins has been reduced in line with customer demand, commuter journeys will be maintained with the off-peak journeys withdrawn.
The Stonehaven area will see some enhancements to the service they have access to with new X7 journeys providing the quickest link to Aberdeen by bus. These services will operate on a limited stop basis allowing the journey times to be enhanced overall. A new hourly route will be introduced connecting the new housing at Chapelton to Aberdeen via Newtonhill and Portlethen.
Following a year of low use, service 747 will be revised to operate only between Ellon and Aberdeen Airport. The section of route between Aberdeen Airport and Stonehaven is to be withdrawn. Journeys between Stonehaven and Montrose will revert to service 107.
Peter Knight, Managing Director for Stagecoach Bluebird said: “We are looking forward to hearing the views from our customers about our planned revisions to the bus network in Aberdeenshire. Everything we have planned is to best use our fleet of buses to meet the travel habits in the area as well as improving the punctuality of the services. Simplifying the network is something we know we need to do in Aberdeenshire in order to welcome more customers on board our buses and hope the local communities will take the time to provide us with their feedback and ideas.”
Feedback is welcomed from today until Sunday 16th February and can be submitted via email to
[email protected] or at one of the events listed below.
Consultation Events
Monday 10th February –
0700 – 1000 – Peterhead Interchange
1600 – 1800 – Fraserburgh Bus Station
Tuesday 11th February -
1600 – 1900 – Aberdeen bus station
Wednesday 12th February -
0700 – 1000 – Fraserburgh Bus Station
1600 – 1800 – Peterhead Interchange
Thursday 13th February -
0630 – 0900 – Ellon Park & Ride
1300 – 1500 – Chapelton Cabin
Friday 14th February -
1600 – 1900 – Aberdeen Bus Station
Full details of the proposed changes to services operated by Stagecoach Bluebird can be downloaded using the below links.
Buchan Guide
Stonehaven Guide
Inverurie Guide
Service 10
Service 34
Service 35
Alford Kemnay
Deeside, see also the
Banchory Map
Westhill Guide, see also the
Westhill Map
Service 59
Summary of the proposals –
Services 4, 5 and 6 (replaces service X17 and 44)- Westhill/Elrick/Countesswells – Kingswells P&R - Aberdeen
Service X17 will be replaced by new services which will continue to offer fast and frequent links to Aberdeen City Centre from Westhill, Prime Four Business Park, Kingswells Park & Ride and Queens Road.
These services will provide a combined frequency of up to every 10 minutes between Kingswells P+R and Aberdeen City Centre. Between Aberdeen and Westhill, up to four buses every hour will operate as far as Westhill Interchange and Hay’s Way, with a bus every 30 minutes to Wellgrove Road and Elrick, and a bus every 30 minutes to Broadshades.
Service 4 will operate up to every 30 minutes (Monday-Saturday) from Countesswells to Aberdeen City Centre via Prime Four, Kingswells P&R and Queens Road. This service will replace service 44, giving a direct bus link from Countesswells to Aberdeen for the first time.
Service 5 will operate up to every 30 minutes from Elrick to Aberdeen City Centre via Wellgrove Road, Hay’s Way, Westhill Interchange, Kingswells P&R and Queens Road.
Service 6 will operate up to every 30 minutes from Broadshades to to Aberdeen City Centre via OId Skene Road, Hay’s Way, Westhill Interchange, Kingswells P&R and Queens Road.
Journey times have been improved for most customers, with journeys from Elrick to Aberdeen reducing by up to 10 minutes and from Broadshades to Aberdeen by up to 15 minutes.
Journey times have also been improved from Kingswells P&R to Aberdeen, reducing by up to 13 minutes.
Service 6A will serve both Broadshades and Elrick via a circular route in the early morning, evenings and all day on Sunday.
Service 5A will replace the journeys to and from Echt previously provided by service X17. The 06:31 from Aberdeen to Echt and the 07:28 from Echt to Aberdeen will be withdrawn.
Service X7 (replaces withdrawn service X6) Stonehaven-Aberdeen Express
This service will be enhanced, offering express journeys from Stonehaven to Aberdeen up to every 20 minutes. On weekdays, two journeys per hour will operate from Forest Park to Aberdeen via Barclay Street and Newtonhill Park & Choose, with a third journey operating from Barclay Street to Aberdeen via Newtonhill Park & Choose.
At the weekend, journeys will operate hourly from Forest Park to Aberdeen with a second journey every hour from Barclay Street.
The fastest journeys from Stonehaven Forest Park to Aberdeen will take 48 minutes, and 39 minutes from Barclay Street to Aberdeen.
All X7 services will operate on a limited stop basis within Aberdeen to speed up journeys. This service will provide the fastest journeys to Aberdeen.
Services 7 and 7B – Newtonhill/Chapelton – Portlethen – Marywell - Aberdeen
The timetable for this service has been revised to offer more reliable and faster journeys.
The route of this service has been revised as follows:
Service 7 will normally operate between Portlethen Berrymuir Road and Aberdeen via Portlethen ASDA, Schoolhill and Bridge of Dee. Certain journeys in the mornings and evenings will extend to Stonehaven. Services will operate up to every hour.
Service 7B will operate from Chapelton to Aberdeen via Newtonhill Park & Choose, Newtonhill village and Portlethen. This service introduces a direct link from Chapelton to the city for the first time, and additional journeys will serve St Michael’s Road in Newtonhill. Services will operate up to every hour.
Services 7 and 7B will offer a combined service up to every 30 minutes from Portlethen to Aberdeen.
Service 7A Stonehaven – Portlethen – Altens Industrial Estate- Aberdeen
There will be minor adjustments to this service.
The 15:50 from Aberdeen to Forest Park will terminate at Barclay Street.
The 16:40 from Spurryhillock to Altens will be withdrawn due to low usage.
There will now be a 17:15 journey from Berrymuir, Portlethen to Altens.
Service 7S Aberdeen – Cove – Portlethen – Newtonhill
There will now be a 15:51 journey from Skateraw Road, Newtonhill to Aberdeen.
Services 8, 8A and 8C Stonehaven Town Service (renumbered from services 4A / 4C)
Service 8A and 8C are direct replacements for the previous services 4A / 4C, offering local links in Stonehaven up to every 30 minutes Monday-Saturday. These services will offer frequent connections to express journeys to Aberdeen from Barclay Street.
Service 8 will operate a limited number of journeys off-peak (Monday-Friday) between Stonehaven and Portlethen ASDA.
Service X10 / 10 Aberdeen – Elgin - Inverness
The timetable for this service has been revised to offer faster and more frequent express journeys from Inverurie to Aberdeen.
Most journeys between Aberdeen and Inverness will operate as service X10. A limited number of journeys which serve Insch, Kennethmont, Kintore and Blackburn will operate as service 10.
Express services between Aberdeen and Inverurie Market Place will operate up to every 30 minutes, with one journey per hour extending to Brandsbutt and Bainzie Road. Services X10 and 37 will offer a combined service up to every 30 minutes from Inverurie Market Place to Brandsbutt and Bainzie Road.
Additional journeys between Aberdeen, Huntly and Keith will be introduced at peak times to provide additional capacity.
An additional journey will operate on Saturday evenings from Inverness to Elgin, departing at 18:45.
The last bus on Saturdays from Inverness bus station will depart 10 minutes earlier at 22:55.
For additional information on services between Inverurie and Aberdeen, see Service 37/X37 below.
Service 26 Stonehaven - Laurencekirk
The timetable has been revised slightly to improve service punctuality.
Service 35 Aberdeen – Banff - Elgin
The timetable has been revised to improve service punctuality. The 05:49 journey from Banff to Aberdeen (Monday-Friday) will be curtailed to start at Oldmeldrum at 06:52. An additional journey will operate Monday-Friday from Aberdeen to Oldmeldrum at 05:55.
Service 37 / X37 Aberdeen – Kintore - Inverurie
Service X37 will be withdrawn and replaced by the additional service X10 journeys as above. This revision will offer a faster service between Inverurie and Aberdeen.
The timetable of service 37 has been revised to improve journey times and after a prolonged period of low use Craibstone Park and Ride has been withdrawn from the route.
Service 41
A new journey has been introduced at 18:10 from Inverurie to Insch. The 19:53 from Inverurie to Insch has been withdrawn due to low use.
Service 50 / 50B (partly replaces 54 / 54A / X54 service)
Service 50 between Ellon and Newburgh is revised with most journeys now extending through to Aberdeen via Balmedie (Eigie Road) and Blackdog slip roads, operating every 2 hours Monday – Saturday. The route between Balmedie and Aberdeen has been revised to operate directly along King Street, serving Morrison’s and Frederick Street Health Centre, following customer feedback. Mounthooly Way, Gallowgate and Broad Street will not be served as a result.
On Sundays, new service 50B provides a link between Ellon, Foveran and Newburgh during the day.
Service 52 (partly replaces 54 / 54A / X54 service)
New service which operates a circular route, every 2 hours, around Ellon Monday to Saturday, serving Ellon Park & Ride, Esslemont and Ness Circle, Market Street and Knockothie.
Service 53 / 53A (partly replaces 54 / 54A / X54 service)
New service operating every 2 hours Monday – Saturday between Ellon Meiklemill and Aberdeen via Ellon Park & Ride, Foveran, Balmedie and Blackdog slip roads.
Service 54 (partly replaces 54 / 54A /X54 service)
This service will operate around Ellon every 2 hours from Meiklemill via Market Street, Esslemont and Ness Circles, Knockothie, Park & Ride and Castle Park. Service operates Monday – Saturday.
Services 50 and 53 will provide journeys up to every hour between Ellon, Balmedie Eigie Road and Aberdeen.
Foveran will be served every two hours by service 53. See Service X67 section below.
Service 56 Knockothie – Ellon Primary School
This service will provide one return journey Monday – Friday between Knockothie and Ellon Primary School.
Service 59 Northfield – Aberdeen Royal Infirmary - Balnagask
This timetable has been revised to maintain service punctuality during the closure of Union Terrace.
The 23:00 from Northfield to Balnagask, 22:40 from Guild Street to Northfield and the 23:30 from Balnagask to Union Square have been withdrawn due to low passenger numbers.
Services X60 / X63 Peterhead – Cruden Bay – Ellon – Newburgh - Aberdeen
The timetables for these services have been revised to improve journey times for customers across the route. Journeys between Peterhead and Aberdeen have been reduced by up to 8 minutes, and between Ellon and Aberdeen by up to 11 minutes.
All journeys will operate as X60 or X63. These two services will provide a half-hourly service between Peterhead and Aberdeen.
Both these services will operate as a limited stop basis between Tipperty (X60) or Balmedie (X63) and Aberdeen to improve journey times. The only stops served between Tipperty / Balmedie will be:
- Murcar (for B&Q)
- Parkway (outside AECC)
- Bridge of Don Barracks
- Donmouth Road
- Lord Hay’s Road (for Lidl)
- St Machar Drive / School Road
- University Road
- St Peter St / Errol Street
- Urquhart Road
- Morrison’s King Street
- Mealmarket Street
- Adelphi
- Union Square Bus Station
Services 50, 53 and 61 will continue to serve those intermediate stops at Blackdog, Seaview, Ellon Road and King Street.
Service 61 Peterhead – Ellon – Newburgh - Aberdeen
Journey times have been revised to improve reliability and speed up journeys to and from Aberdeen. This service will continue to serve all stops between Balmedie and Aberdeen, including Blackdog slip roads.
Services X67 / X68 Fraserburgh – Ellon - Aberdeen
These services will provide a combined half-hourly service between Fraserburgh and Aberdeen.
The timetables for these services have been revised to improve journey times for customers across the route. Journeys between Fraserburgh and Aberdeen have been reduced by more than 10 minutes, and between Ellon and Aberdeen by 6 minutes.
Service X67 will operate directly between Fraserburgh, Mintlaw and Ellon Park & Ride before continuing to Aberdeen via A90. Most journeys Monday-Saturday will not serve Ellon Market Street.
Service X68 will operate between Fraserburgh, Memsie, Strichen, Fetterangus, Mintlaw and Ellon Park & Ride, before continuing to Aberdeen via Ellon Market Street.
Both these services will operate on a limited stop basis between Tipperty and Aberdeen to further improve journey times. The only stops served between Tipperty and Aberdeen will be:
- Murcar (for B&Q)
- Parkway (outside AECC)
- Bridge of Don Barracks
- Donmouth Road
- Lord Hay’s Road (for Lidl)
- St Machar Drive / School Road
- University Road
- St Peter St / Errol Street
- Urquhart Road
- Morrison’s King Street
- Mealmarket Street
- Adelphi
- Union Square Bus Station
Services 50, 53 and 61 will continue to serve those intermediate stops at Blackdog, Seaview, Ellon Road and King Street.
Service 201 (replaces services 202 and 203) Aberdeen – Banchory – Ballater - Braemar
Service will be simplified and all journeys will operate numbered service 201. All journeys will now operate the same route through Banchory and the timetable has been revised to provide a more punctual service.
Customers travelling from Braemar to Aberdeen will no longer need to change buses at Ballater on Sundays.
Certain journeys will extend from Banchory to Aboyne on Sundays.
Unfortunately, due to very low usage most off peak trips to and from Lumphanan and Torphins have been withdrawn. Commuter trips will still allow for connections to Aberdeen.
Service 205 Banchory local service
This new service will provide local links around Banchory up to every hour off-peak, Monday to Saturday. The service will connect from Burnett Road to Tesco via Oaklands, Banchory Sports Centre and Hill of Banchory Co-op.
Customers can connect from service 205 to service 201 heading towards Aberdeen at Banchory High Street, with most journeys connecting in 11 minutes or less. Heading from Aberdeen, customers can connect with the 205 service at Banchory High Street once per hour, with most journeys connecting in 10 minutes or less.
Service 218 Aberdeen - Alford
This timetable has been revised slightly to speed up journeys and improve service punctuality.
Services 220 / 420 Aberdeen – Kintore – Kemny- Alford
All journeys will now operate as service 220 with no stopping restrictions within Aberdeen City. Certain journeys at peak times will not serve Kintore.
Due to a long period of low usage at the stop, service 220 will no longer serve Craibstone Park & Ride.
Service 291 Aberdeen – Methlick - Fyvie
The first trip from Methlick to Aberdeen has been revised to improve punctuality and improve connection times with other services in Aberdeen. The journey will now depart Methlick at 06:18
To accommodate this, the first trip to Methlick will depart Aberdeen at 0510.
Service 422
Minor changes to timetable.
Service 747 Peterhead – Ellon - Aberdeen
Unfortunately, due to low usage, this service will now only operate between Ellon Park & Ride and Aberdeen Airport 5 times per day. One commuter journey per day will extend to / from Peterhead and via Pitmedden Road Industrial Estate.
The service will operate Monday – Friday daytimes only, supported by Aberdeenshire Council.
All journeys between Stonehaven, Kingswells Park & Ride, Craibstone Park & Ride and Aberdeen Airport will be withdrawn.
For journeys between Stonehaven and Montrose, please see service 107 below.
Service 107 (replaces 747 journeys between Montrose and Stonehaven) Stonehaven - Montrose
This service will operate between Montrose and Stonehaven and directly replaces those journeys currently provided by service 747, supported by Aberdeenshire Council.
On Schooldays only, additional services will operate to and from Gourdon, Johnshaven and Inverbervie.
