A petition has been set up after it was announced that Dalry is to lose one of its regular bus services.

Shuttle Buses is discontinuing the Number 10 as of July 20 as the service is not financially viable. Dalry and West Kilbride Councillor Joy Brahim has contacted Shuttle Buses, SPT and Stagecoach in an attempt to retain a regular bus service in the mornings and at peak times. She has also started a petition in Dalry library.

Councillor Brahim said: “The Number 10 is a real lifeline for people in outlying areas of Dalry. Many older people in particular have advised me that when the Number 10 is gone, a big part of their daily lives and social lives will fall away as they won't have the opportunity to travel into town and back in the mornings. I share their concerns about social isolation and loneliness and can see this impact on their ability to remain independent in their own homes without a local morning bus service.”

David Granger, managing director at Shuttle Buses, said: “We have reluctantly taken the decision to withdraw our Dalry local service. We have witnessed a gradual decline in passenger numbers and this service has been loss-making for a number of years now.

“With increased costs (particularly fuel and wages) the losses on this route are no longer sustainable. We informed Strathclyde Partnership for Transport of our decision in May and they appear to have taken the view that Stagecoach Service 25, which follows a very similar route to ours, offers a suitable alternative.

“We informed Strathclyde Partnership for Transport of our decision in May and they appear to have taken the view that Stagecoach service 25, which follows a very similar route to ours, offers a suitable alternative.

“At the same time, all other bus operators in the area were informed that we would no longer be operating this route and were given the chance to run the service themselves, but all have declined to do so.

“We understand that some passengers will be inconvenienced by this service withdrawal and we regret this very much, but as a private company we are not in a position to be able to subsidise loss-making services indefinitely.”