26-06-2025
Dumbarton residents say axing of 340 bus is 'betrayal'
The Hospitalwatch group – made up of Dunbartonshire locals and led by chairman Jim Moohan – has long been campaigning against the axing of McColl's 340 bus, an NHS-funded service which has linked Helensburgh and the Vale of Leven Hospital (VoLH) with the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) in Paisley since 2009.
However, it was announced back in May that the route would operate for the final time on June 28 after the Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) board pulled the contract.
Picture by Colin Mearns, Newsquest (Image: Pictures by Colin Mearns, Newsquest.) Jim said: 'We've had a good working relationship with the hospital board for the last 15 years, so this is a complete breach of trust, and it is very short notice to announce they're taking away this transport provision.
'There was no consultation or discussion about how we could go about keeping the service running. The community thinks this is disgraceful and they have been let down."
The service was introduced after the A&E at the VoLH was cut in 2004 – which also led to Hospitalwatch's formation as they pushed to ensure that the services in Alexandria remained.
Through the years, the group has managed to retrieve some services and recruit more staff into the VoLH through demonstrations, meetings with management, visiting parliament and holding 24-hour vigils.
Jim said: 'When we lost the A&E in 2004, that really took away the main artery of the hospital. We then got this 340 bus provision to try and help the community and it's been there for nearly 20 years, and it's been a very good service throughout that time.
'For that to now be removed, it's just totally unacceptable. The community is not happy about it. They're angry and rightly so.'
(Image: Pictures by Colin Mearns, Newsquest.)
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As of June 29, the 340 will no longer be for public use and will only transport NHS staff and patients between the two hospitals. Patients will have to provide proof of an appointment to access the service.
It means visitors to the hospital will no longer be able to use the service and will instead have to travel longer to visit their loved ones.
The journey is now expected to require at least two changes and can exceed 90 minutes off-peak, making evening and weekend visiting impractical for many families.
Jim said: 'This bus is important to people. We will be demanding it is returned for the community to use. When the bus is removed, people will have to get other buses and trains. This is just pure disruption.
'The bridge gets closed during the winter period and we've got road works all year round. How are people supposed to get to the hospital? They're cutting off people from their families who are in the hospital recovering.
'People feel enough stress when visiting unwell relatives, without this additional burden being placed on them. To take this away from the communities is so wrong."
(Image: Pictures by Colin Mearns, Newsquest.) Jim vowed that Hospitalwatch would put their heads together to try and get the bus route back into public use.
Dumbarton MSP, Jackie Baillie, has previously spoken out about the "appalling" decision.
Baillie said: 'The 340 service is of vital importance and simply must continue.
'It is unthinkable to leave these communities with only an infrequent link and leave visitors out in the cold and unable to see loved ones in the hospital. To axe the current standard of provision is a betrayal to our communities."
(Image: Pictures by Colin Mearns, Newsquest.) NHSGGC said the service was significantly underused, with passenger uptake ranging between 33% to 35% across most scheduled journeys.
A spokesperson added: "It is a more cost-effective approach as the costs of the service provided by the bus company have increased markedly, rising to over £174,000 annually in 2025/26. Charitable funding that was previously available to NHSGGC to support this service has also ended. The new free service for staff and patients will use our own 18-seater minibus, which remains accessible for wheelchair users and will be suitable for prams and buggies. In making this decision, we sought the views of those using the service run by the bus company through a survey which was advertised on the bus itself, and at bus stops at both hospitals."
(Image: Vale of Leven Hospital, pictured by Colin Mearns of Newsquest)
A spokesperson for McColl's said: "McColl's was not consulted in advance of the decision and learned of it only when the Health Board issued its public announcement.
"We understand the concerns expressed by Hospitalwatch and other community representatives.
"The current timetable provides five return journeys Monday to Friday and two on both Saturday and Sunday, giving residents a single-bus option between Helensburgh, the Vale of Leven Hospital, Dumbarton and the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
"Once the 340 is withdrawn, that journey is expected to require at least two changes and can exceed 90 minutes off-peak, making evening and weekend visiting impractical for many families."
