The X7 Coastrider is an hourly
bus route
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
between
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
and
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
via
Dundee operated by
Stagecoach East Scotland
Stagecoach East Scotland (legally incorporated as Fife Scottish Omnibuses Ltd) ( gd, Stagecoach an Ear na h-Alba) is an operating region of Stagecoach UK Bus, with its regional base in Dunfermline, Scotland. The company operators under six d ...
. The service runs seven days per week.
History
The route was introduced on 12 September 2011 and was initially operated by a fleet of six new
Plaxton Elite
The Plaxton Elite is a coach body unveiled at the Euro Bus Expo at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham in November 2008 by the British bus and coach manufacturer Plaxton. It is primarily targeted at the premium touring market. It went in ...
coaches. In 2014, Stagecoach purchased eight new Plaxton Elite-i interdeck coaches for the route. These began service on 24 November.
At this time, the southern terminus of the service was also extended from Dundee to Perth. The extension replaced route number 333, which operated between Perth Royal Infirmary and Ninewells Hospital. A ninth coach was subsequently acquired for the route.
In 2020, additional services numbered X7 were introduced between Aberdeen and
Stonehaven
Stonehaven ( , ) is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census.
After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal cast ...
, some of which continue through Stonehaven, providing an additional town service.
Criticism
The introduction of new coaches has been criticised by passengers who claim that they have insufficient space for wheelchair users, and that the steep stairs are hard to climb. The service is used by patients at
Perth Royal Infirmary
Perth Royal Infirmary is a district hospital in Perth. The Royal Infirmary serves a population of around 182,000 across the City of Perth and the wider Perth and Kinross area. It is managed by NHS Tayside.
History
Perth Royal infirmary has it ...
and
Ninewells Hospital
Ninewells Hospital is a large teaching hospital, based on the western edge of Dundee, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland ...
in Dundee. In response, Stagecoach stated that the vehicles meet
Disability Discrimination Act
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of countries have passed laws aimed at reducing discrimination against people with disabilities. These laws have begun to appear as the notion of civil rights has become more influential globally ...
standards and all had a space for a wheelchair user. The company stated in 2018 that the coaches were necessary to meet demand for the X7 service and that low-floor vehicles would have insufficient capacity.
Despite this, in September 2017, the company introduced a service numbered X8 to increase the frequency of service between Perth and
Arbroath and "providing an alternative option for customers who may struggle with the stairs on the X7".
The X8 route was withdrawn in 2018.
References
{{Reflist
Bus routes in Scotland
Stagecoach Group