No U-turn on postbus withdrawal

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TWO postbus services in the Far North will end this week as Royal Mail maintains its stance over their withdrawal.

But the company has revealed that there could be alternative services in place in the future. The decision to axe the services which run between Thurso and Bettyhill and Tongue, along with three others in the Highlands, was announced last month. This led to pleas from the Highland Council and local MSP Jamie Stone to have the decision reversed.

However, in a letter sent to Mr Stone earlier this month, Royal Mail's head of external relations Ian Smith confirmed that the company is "open to the possibility of tendering for public transport routes in the future," and that it "would be willing to meet with the Highland Council officials to discuss any future contracts they intend to offer for which Royal Mail may wish to tender".

The proposal was put forward "where two key conditions can be met".

Mr Smith writes: "These are that running the transport service does not negatively impact on (Royal Mail's) ability to carry out our core function of collecting and delivering mail, and secondly, that the contract covers the financial cost to Royal Mail of operating the service."

Commenting on the letter, Mr Stone said: "This is really a strong issue on the north coast and people feel very strongly about it.

"I am still concerned that Royal Mail don't seem to have discussed it with the Highland Council as much as they could have. However, they have offered a meeting and I will take this up with alacrity and do my best to ensure that they actually achieve something."

Jamie Stone continued: "At the end of the day, my constituents need transport to get between Thurso and Tongue."

Concerns about services in remote areas were voiced by Margaret Mackay, the postmistress at Armadale Post Office.

She said: "We haven't been told what services will be in place to deliver our mail. There are a lot of questions unanswered."

Mrs Mackay, who launched a petition against the withdrawal of the postbuses in February, added: "It's very disappointing. Royal Mail made the decision without consulting with the community or council.

"The concern is that we don't know what is happening. We don't know how people are going to get into Thurso."

Her concerns were reflected by Strathy and Armadale community council chairwoman Janette Mackay.

She said: "What is concerning me is the overall plan. We don't have buses or taxis.

"Although the postbuses don't carry very many passengers, the service is important for those who do use it.

Mrs Mackay added: "It is an important service, especially for older folk, and we would like to see it retained."

In the letter to Mr Stone, Mr Smith explains that Royal Mail is not currently in a position to change its decision due to "major practical reasons".

Mr Smith writes: "Royal Mail has now completed the process of redeploying its resources following the decision to withdraw the routes.

"Crucially, this includes leases on existing vehicles used to operate these routes being cancelled.

"This means that even if funding were made available for the routes at this late stage, Royal Mail will not have the necessary vehicles to provide the service."

In 2008, 1535 passengers used the postbus running between Thurso and Tongue, while 678 people made use of the service between Thurso and Bettyhill.

The Highland Council's TEC services staff are to consult with the local communities on the longer-term transport solutions for areas affected by the withdrawal of the postbuses.

The postbuses will make their final runs on Friday.

[zaphod]

It is said in this report that Royal Mail prefers profit to public service.
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