Highland Council hails success for in-house operation
Highland Council says its in-house bus service pilot project started in January 2023 has been a success in its first year of operation, delivering savings and creating a valued and reliable service.
It was set up to operate local services and school transport at a lower cost than using commercial contractors, and in its first year carried 449 pupils each schoolday at 24 schools in the Inverness, Black Isle and Dingwall areas and over 52,000 bus service passengers on around a dozen routes.
One example given by the council of a recent expansion of the pilot concerns an additional route, providing school transport in the Strathdearn area for primary and secondary pupils, and a public service between Tomatin and Inverness. It was launched in January this year and the council says it is saving £173,313 per year compared to the previous contract. The recent purchase of a 53-seat coach offers greater capacity for school hires, and from May 20 the council planned to use it on two home-toschool journeys in the Nairn area, replacing a Stagecoach contract, with a reported cost reduction of £333,715.
As the in-house operation expands, the council intends to r…
