Following campaigning in Stonehaven Market Square Kevin issued a statement calling for better coordination of bus services between Stonehaven and Montrose:
"I spoke to several people at Stonehaven bus station about the quality and the frequency of buses to and from Stonehaven. We also asked about people's views on the free bus pass scheme. There was a high level of satisfaction with the off peak bus pass scheme introduced by the Scottish Labour Government in 2002. Several people indicated that it was a great help in getting out into the community, shopping and keeping contact with relatives. This must surely be one of the most endearing reminders of a successful initiative made possible by the creation of the Scottish Parliament by Donald Dewar.
"In terms of comments on the bus services locally there was some praise for the politeness and courtesy of staff and for the range of services. However there was some criticism that at times during the day when two operators provide a service between Stonehaven and Montrose there appeared to be some duplication. For example during the afternoon period in the week there is often only a five minute gap between services provided by the two providers Stagecoach and MW Nicoll, this is surely not in the best interests of the passengers who would rather have a service once every half hour.
"This is surely a problem caused by deregulation as introduced by the Tory Party. In order to highlight this problem I am writing to the Chief Executives of both Aberdeenshire and Angus Council asking that in such situations they find ways of bringing transport providers together to coordinate services as in a time of relative austerity it is vital that both the public and the private sector work together for the benefit of the community to provide the best of services."
