Travelsure to give up its Scottish Borders Council contracts due to driver shortages

[DunsBus]

Scottish Borders Council has announced on its Facebook feed that Travelsure will cease operating its four Scottish Borders Council contracts from late-October, due to a shortage of drivers. Four services - the 32, 34, 236 and 260, which operate in the Duns and Eyemouth areas - are affected.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid063goXdtyKZQKwKNRaAfBuj3eBAe9Q8PXw6SATDM97Us81kgDHop198WKoGa6KHapl&id=100064520238829&sfnsn=scwspmo

Local bus operator Travelsure has announced that it is to cease operation of some bus services in the Berwickshire area due to a national shortage of drivers.

The services which are affected and will cease on 24 October 2023 are:

• Service 32 - Tweedmouth - Berwick - Paxton - Hutton - Swinton
• Service 34 - Tweedmouth - Berwick - Eyemouth - Duns
• Service 236 - Ayton - Eyemouth - Berwick
• Service 260 - Tweedmouth – Duns

SBC is working with alternative service providers to maintain connectivity across the Berwickshire area and is exploring all options available to it.

Residents affected should refer to the Borders Buses website for alternative routes https://ow.ly/iqOJ50PMSi6

The Pingo on-demand transport service also operates seven days per week from 7am until 9pm for those. For further information please visit https://ow.ly/3sMB50PMSi5

Given the responses of some of the posters, you'd think that World War 3 had just broken out!

 

[Flange Squeal]

Further to the above, I heard that Travelsure were to close completely at the end of the year. I had a look at their site and there is a news article dated 9th October confirming this, but I don’t think I’ve seen mention on here of the full closure of the business as yet?

Statement from Travelsure Coaches Limited. (9th October 2023)

We have made the decision as a family to close our business at the end of the year.

This decision has been made solely on the needs of our family as Barrie & Karen wish to retire.

We have operated our holiday and day trip program since 1987 and would like to thank the fantastic passengers, staff and suppliers we have met and worked with throughout the years. We hope you all have some happy memories of Travelsure.

We would also like to thank the residents of Northumberland and the Scottish Borders who have travelled on our services.

We will continue to operate local services, school contracts and private hire till the end of the year.

All the holidays and day trips within our 2023 brochure will go ahead as planned. If you haven’t already booked your winter break don’t delay and book today.

Source: https://www.travelsure.co.uk/

 

[Geordie driver]

I thought the owners of Travelsure were retiring?

 

[DunsBus]

I thought the owners of Travelsure were retiring?

Indeed they are. I don't know where Scottish Borders Council (SBC) got the story about Travelsure being short of drivers from, but it turned out to be completely false. Furthermore, SBC were asked by Travelsure not to release the news about its closure until the drivers had been told first. SBC went ahead and put out the release regardless!

 

[Geordie driver]

Indeed they are. I don't know where Scottish Borders Council (SBC) got the story about Travelsure being short of drivers from, but it turned out to be completely false. Furthermore, SBC were asked by Travelsure not to release the news about its closure until the drivers had been told first. SBC went ahead and put out the release regardless!

I don't know much about them but their buses always looked smart when I saw them about in the borders.

 

[ian1944]

If it was Travelsure who operated the bus from Berwick to Chirnside some years ago, then it was one of their drivers who was the most helpful and considerate (to me and to other road users) I can ever remember, when I visited Jim Clark's grave. For all of the quality of monoliths like Lothian, wee local firms can be the tops.

 

[bobdoe]

Time for Lothian Borders Buses (subsidiary of Lothian Buses) to take control.

 

[DunsBus]

I don't know much about them but their buses always looked smart when I saw them about in the borders.

Two from the last day of their Scottish services (21st October). Solo YJ10OAE at Duns with the 0852 service 34 to Berwick and Solo MX10DXP, also at Duns, with the final working - the 1715 service 260 to Berwick.