Transport Links
This page provides some information on transport links to Guildtown, Wolfhill and St Martins.
Transport contributes around a fifth (23%) of total UK domestic CO2 emissions and so lowering the amount of CO2 produced by travel is crucial.
See the individual sections below for information on:
Bus
Guildtown and Wolfhill are connected to Perth and Blairgowrie by Stagecoach Strathtay's service 58.
- Click here for the timetable (PDF: opens in a new window)
The service is regular it is not very frequent at every two hours or so; and don't dawdle in the evening in Perth: the last bus leaves South Street (outside the Mountain Supplies shop) at 17:48 (Monday - Friday; later on a Saturday)
Our bus service offers a good transport link to both Perth and Blairgowrie from where there are numerous other connections to the rest of Scotland and the UK. However, while the frequency could be improved the service has to be used - particularly by fare paying adults. Bus services - particularly rural ones - are being cut across the UK as a result of:
- increasing fuel costs
- increasing fuel tax
- concessionary fares
It may be surprising to some people that neither the airline industry or the rail industry pay tax on the fuel they use. Bus operators however do pay tax on their fuel. Until recently 80% of the fuel tax paid by bus operators was refunded (called the Fuel Duty Rebate). This fuel duty rebate is being cut by the UK Government and so bus operators are facing increases to their fuel tax bills.
In addition, the rate at which fuel is taxed is increasing (the fuel duty escalator).
Both of these tax systems are over and above the cost of the fuel itself: the cost of crude oil is generally increasing.
While bus operators should be compensated by government for transporting concession card holders for free, the rate of compensation in Scotland is under pressure. The compensation rate is nominally 70% of the adult single fare. However, the Scottish Government has capped the budget on an annual basis meaning that there is a finite number of concessionary trips that will be paid for by the Scottish Government: the rest will be paid for by fare paying passengers. Scotland is in a much better position than England however
Car transport
If you have to use your car there is some good advice here on how to ensure your car is working as efficiently as possible.
If you can, please consider helping someone else who may be making the same journey. Perth and Kinross has a lift share website here. Register and you may find yourself saving money as well as the environment.
Cycling
Cycling is a fantastic means of transport. However, cycling as a means of transport - rather than for fun - can take some serious committment (please see the Outdoor Action section for information on leisure cycling).
From Guildtown, Wolfhill and St Martins it is an easy cycle into Perth. The A93 is - for a main road - relatively quiet although vehicles do travel at speed. Cycling along this route certainly compares favourably to commuting similar distances in Edinburgh.
In December 2007, Sustrans won a national TV vote and was awarded funding for projects across the UK to connect communities with walking / cycling links. As part of this project a new bridge across the Tay has been proposed.
This new bridge would make a big difference for cycling to Perth. Rather than negotiating the busy Isla Road / Main Street (Bridgend) junction and the narrow West Bridge, cyclists would access Perth from the North Inch. This would not only be a much quicker, but also a safer, traffic free, route to the town centre. However, as of December 2010 one of the landowners involved has withdrawn support putting the project in jeopardy (follow this link for more information).
Employers can encourage staff to cycle to work by participating in the Cycle to Work scheme. This provides heavily discounted bikes and equipment (including lights and clothing). You can also claim business mileage of 20p per mile when using a bike for business.
Journey Planning
Cars are incredibly convenient. While cars cost a lot of money to purchase and run they are available to take us wherever we want to go at a time of our chosing.
However, just knowing how we can make journeys by more sustainable means can highlight how convenient public transport can be.
Journey planners aim to do this. By examining all the timetables for you a journey planner will link together various modes of public transport to get you to your destination by the time of your choosing. Often this will mean that you arrive more relaxed at your destination having read a book, surfed the web or chatted on the phone during the journey. You may even save some money given the rising costs of fuel and parking charges.
A useful journey planner is at www.transportdirect.info - enter your origin and destination and critical travel times and let the system trawl the timetables for you.