Changes to National Express Buses Serving Broughty Ferry from 4 May 2014

National Express Dundee have advised that they intend to introduce citywide service changes on 4 May 2014. These changes are driven by commercial considerations and have not been requested by Dundee City Council.

These are the changes to their routes that serve Broughty Ferry:
Service 5 will be combined with a new X5 service operating directly to Ninewells every 15 minutes. Along with the Outer Circle, there will be eight departures each hour from Barnhill/Broughty Ferry toward Dundee city centre. The X5 will operate non-stop from Dalgleish Road to Seagate.

Service 9/10/11/12 (outer circle) will have its route slightly revised to offer a more direct service between Dundee city centre and Broughty Ferry. The direct connection from Barnhill to Stobswell will be removed as the bus will use Broughty Ferry Road/Blackscroft rather than Arbroath Road/Victoria Street.

Service 5N will be cancelled. The night bus service was introduced in 2012 but has not managed to attract sufficient numbers of users to make it sustainable.

I know that many older residents living on, or close to, Dundee Road in The Ferry will be disappointed that these modifications will not improve the poor frequency of buses that run along their road to and from Dundee. These residents will continue to have to hike up to Strathern Road to get on the outer circle and the X5 services.

Big Bus Changes Ahead for Broughty Ferry from Next Sunday

Next Sunday, 30 June 2013, will see wide ranging changes to National Express Dundee bus services in the City.

The most significant change for The Ferry is the reintroduction of the Outer Circle service after an absence of around three years.  At the same time Service 26 will be withdrawn. 

In addition there will apparently be a co-ordinated timetable for the 5 service with the new Outer Circular service. I hope this is achievable but in practice it will probably be a real challenge to synchronize two of the cross city bus routes.

Here are the key points from the leaflet produced by National Express about the Service 5 and the new Outer Circle:

Service 5

• 10 minute frequency Monday—Saturday 
• Serving Science Sensation Centre (Monday—Saturday) 
• An increase in the early morning journeys to Technology Park 
• Sunday service extended to Ninewells Hospital/Technology Park to operate every 20 minutes from Balgillo. 
• A co-ordinated timetable with the new Outer Circular. 
• Following customer feedback minibuses have been removed in favour of the brand new Hybrids. 

Service 9,10,11,12 

• Re-introduction of the Outer Circle Service after an absence of 4 years
• Will re-serve the centre of Charleston via Craigowan Road
• Service 9/10 will serve the Stack Leisure Park and operate in the evenings and all day Sunday to the Camperdown Leisure Park.
• Evening journeys will also serve Harefield Road (Tofthill)
• Earlier Sat/Sun am journeys introduced on Service 9/10 to serve Ninewells Hospital and Tesco Call Centre (Baird Avenue)
• Service 11/12 will serve the Kingsway Retail Park, and lower Douglas (part of Douglas Drive)
• Journeys to operate to midnight with support from Dundee City Council

I hope these changes are as beneficial as National Express Dundee are claiming and bus users find they are really advantageous.

Read/download the new Dundee Bus Network Map effective 30 June 2013

No 5 Bus Service Unreliability

I have received this detailed and worrying complaint about the No 5 bus service from a constituent. 

The constituent reported:


"Just before Easter passengers boarded a number 5 bus outside Debenhams.  It drove on only one stop and passengers were asked to get out and get on the next bus.  That immediately went out of service as well on arrival at the High Street main stop (ie after progressing 1 stop only), and the third bus uplifted passengers but it was very overcrowded.  The first bus was a double decker, the second a very small single decker, and the third a standard single-decker.  The latter 2 were too small for the number of passengers, especially at a peak time. 

My complaint is about the general deterioration of the 5 commuter service over several months.  The above is a typical example. The service is now unreliable; does not conform to timetable; services are regularly cancelled at peak times; the buses which do turn up are often far too small for the number of passengers and regularly passengers are left standing at intermediate stop s.  The service is very poor.  I am also emailing this text to my elected representatives because I complained a few months ago but the service has got worse since then."

I have asked National Express Dundee for an explanation for my constituent and regular users of the No 5 service.

More Cuts to Bus Services on Their Way

Earlier today The Herald reported that commuters face more cuts to local bus services following the Scottish Government’s under funding of the concessionary travel scheme.

It will be the Scottish Government’s fault that bus passengers face paying higher fares, but getting less of a service in return in 2013.

Buses are a real lifeline for many communities and residents in our city, particularly for those on low incomes and those people who do not have access to their own transport. For many elderly folk, their bus pass and access to a regular bus service is the difference between being cooped up at home or getting out.

If the SNP led Holyrood Government require bus operators to provide the same concessionary travel scheme with less money, on top of the cut to the bus operators' grant, then the consequences are clear - more fare hikes, more service cuts and more job losses.

It seems the Edinburgh government's intention is to make these cuts and to try to blame the bus companies, while at the same time refusing to support greater regulation of the bus industry. This approach means bus workers and those who rely most on bus services, usually those on lower incomes, will unfortunately pay the price.

New & Revised National Express Dundee Bus Services for The Ferry from Monday

From Monday 15 August, National Express bus services serving Broughty Ferry will be changing. 


There is a fresh timetable for the number 5 service  Barnhill – City Centre – Ninewells Hospital via Broughty Ferry, Strathern Road and the Technology Park. National Express Dundee say that, "All day frequency to be increased to every 10 minutes between the City and Barnhill and 20 minute frequency between City and Ninewells except at am and pm peak when additional buses will serve the hospital"
Click on this link to read or download the new timetable for the number 5 service.


On Monday the new number 206 service begins running on the Ethiebeaton Park – Broughty Ferry – West Ferry route.
Click on this link to read or download the new timetable for the new number 26 service.

National Express Bypasses Key Parts of Broughty Ferry

In early November, National Express buses will no longer pass through central Broughty Ferry when the No 5 circular bus is re-routed. The No 5 bus service will no longer cross the railway line and travel through central Broughty Ferry removing convenient drop off and pick up points in the central shopping area.

Many older residents, including some who live in sheltered housing, have approached me with their concerns. They complain, for example, that elderly residents will now have to get off the bus at the Post Office Bar and walk along Queen Street to the post office at the top of Grey Street, then walk across the rail crossing to get to the main shops within the Ferry. When these residents have finished their shopping, they will need to carry their messages up the steep incline to reach the bus stop at the foot of Forthill Road.

Likewise, residents in Dundee Road/Broughty Ferry Road remain inconveniences and cut off by the withdrawal of their bus services since the end of June.

I think both sets of bus users are very reasonable in asking for a solution to the withdrawal of bus services that they have come to rely on. Come on Travel Dundee, you can surely do better than this!