A GROUP of elderly Kilwinning residents are furious after their bus stop was axed from the newly relaunched 320 service.

Liz Agnew, of Hawthorn Place off Nethermains Road, contacted the Herald after the service – which has just been taken over by Shuttle Buses from Stagecoach – stopped calling at the stop outside her sheltered accommodation last Monday.

The 320 now turns into Blacklands estate to do a loop before re-emerging at the same point on Nethermains Road, leaving the Hawthorn Place residents – many of who are registered disabled – with a 200 yard walk to their nearest stop.

The bus previously stopped right outside their sheltered accommodation, but by Wednesday last week, the bus stop sign had been removed and a notice placed on it saying: “Due to service 320 changing route from 13th July no scheduled services will use this stop.

"Your nearest alternative will be in Blacklands or on Almswall Road.” Shuttle Buses say the new route is not their doing but was dictated to them by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) who altered it when Shuttle Buses took it over.

David Granger, managing director of Shuttle Buses said: “SPT determines the route, however, we have suggested a solution to the problem and the ball is now in their court.” Liz, 68, has mobility problems and her 73-year-old husband Billy is registered blind.

Liz said: “The bus service is a lifeline to the residents here.

"We want an explanation why they have made a crazy decision like this. It makes no sense.” Angry residents staged a protest at the site of the withdrawn bus stop last week, some waving makeshift placards demanding: “Give us back our bus!” Jean Johnston who has lived in the sheltered accommodation for four years said: “The bus service is a lifeline for people here.

“Even one an hour for people going to the surgery who have appointments would suit us.

“We were told we could use the MyBus but it’s crazy to book that just to go up the street.” Isobel McDonald said: “I’m not able to walk up the road to the other stop. I use taxis now.” Local Councillor Joe Cullinane commented: “Having successfully campaigned to retain a half hourly service for the local community, I will be pressing for Hawthorn Place residents to have their bus stop back on the route.

“It seems to me to be an oversight as using this bus stop doesn’t affect the services scheduling but would be of huge benefit to the residents of Hawthorn Place and SPT should put it back on the route at the earliest opportunity.” A spokesperson for SPT said: “The area has seen several bus services withdrawn by bus operators on purely financial grounds, leaving SPT and the public purse to subsidise them.

“To ensure that we are able to continue to fund all the services required, we combined service 320 with service 29, which required a change to both the timetable and route.

“As with any network change, however, we monitor its operation and we will review it to see what options there might be to include Hawthorn Place”.