ELDERLY residents in Renfrewshire have raised concerns over the current state of a lifeline bus service.
MyBus is a bookable bus service offering door-to-door transport and is used by many older people in the local area.
Frances Greig, from Johnstone, said she was one of several elderly people who had encountered issues with the service in recent months.
The 71-year-old told The Gazette: "We're having big problems with MyBus.
"I'm phoning up to get the bus and a lot of the time it's not coming.
"A lot of us can't get out for things and it's getting beyond a joke."
Frances, who uses an oxygen machine, relies on MyBus to attend social clubs run by ROAR (Reaching Older Adults in Renfrewshire) at the Station Seven community hub in Johnstone.
She said: "My daughter is doing her best to get me to my clubs but she can't always do it, as she's got things she needs to do as well.
"Sometimes I can't get the bus, while other times it takes me there but then it can't take me back home."
Cassie Forbes, CEO of ROAR, said the charity was currently looking for a solution to transport issues in the local area.
She added: "We understand the challenges that bus companies have around driver availability and getting new parts for vehicles.
"Our social clubs are a lifeline to frailer older adults who want to get out and receive the services that we offer.
"We are reliant on a good transport service so if we can't get that through the likes of MyBus, then we'll need to look at an alternative option locally if we can."
An SPT spokesperson said: "SPT recognises that MyBus is an essential service for elderly and disabled users across Strathclyde. Acceptance of trip requests remains high across the region, including Renfrewshire where we meet more than 91% of all requests.
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"Our call handlers and schedulers work hard to facilitate as many trips as possible from within the available resources. We are always happy to discuss users' individual requirements and will endeavour to satisfy trip requests where we can.
"We are currently carrying out a thorough review of the MyBus service. We recently reported on a number of actions we would now be taking forward over the next three to 12 months at our operations committee, to support the ongoing success of the service.
"This includes looking at qualifying criteria; simpler registration process; revising booking and scheduling process; revising journey purpose; raising awareness of the service; improving the current service provision; and undertaking a wider Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service redesign.
"SPT is fully aware of the importance of the MyBus service to communities and we are working to ensure its future operating model to meet the needs of current and future users."
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