FIFE COUNCIL has driven forward plans to save bus services which had been set to be slashed.

The local authority has stepped in so routes described as "uneconomical commercial but socially essential" can continue.

Among those which will now stay on the road are the service 81, which covers Parkneuk, Dunfermline and Glenrothes, and the 33 service, which goes between Kirkcaldy, Cardenden, Cowdenbeath, Halbeath Park and Ride, Queen Margaret Hospital and Dunfermline.

Fife Council leader, Councillor David Ross, said the subsidised services covered gaps that need to be filled in the commercial system and routes that have been supported historically.

"The removal of these services would have a significant impact on the local communities, particularly those who rely on public transport. In turn, the council stepped in and tendered for alternative, replacement services," he said.

“We are committed to creating a fairer Fife and supporting those hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis. The services maintained will reassure people in our communities that where there is a social need, the council will take whatever steps it can to support the provision of essential transport, including bus services.

“By stepping in, the main impacts of the changes proposed by the commercial service have hopefully been avoided.”

Earlier this year, Stagecoach outlined proposals to cut services across Fife.

The firm said the changes were driven by changing habits – fewer people were using some buses which meant reduced income and increasing costs.

However, the announcement prompted concerns by bus-users who said it would affect parents collecting children from school or childcare; make it harder for shift workers, such as nurses and refuse workers, to get to and from work and for people to access health services; and add extra time to what can already be a two-hour journey to travel a few miles between villages.

West Fife and Coastal Villages councillor Graeme Downie was one of several loal representatives who wrote to Stagecoach asking them to ditch the plans following contact from worried constituents.

He welcomed this week's announcement, saying: "We need more investment in public transport, particularly in rural areas, if we are to give people the opportunity to access job and educational opportunities, so it is fantastic news that Fife Labour Council has been able to step in and save these vital services for the Kingdom. "

Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville was also pleased to see services reinstated.

"I contacted Fife Council after constituents reached out to me with concerns about the 81 Parkneuk bus service being withdrawn by Stagecoach," she said. "This would clearly have left people isolated and been hugely detrimental to the local community.

"I'm therefore pleased that the local authority have now acted on my request and ensured that this vital service will be maintained."

Timetable information with the new bus times will be updated at the bus stops affected from Monday and will also be available on the Traveline Scotland website.