Thank you to those who attended the UTCC meeting on Monday 21st October to express views on the local bus service. Following a meeting with SBC and our local councillors on Tuesday 22nd October, please find some of the findings from that meeting, along with an action for us as a community. The existing bus contract is up (both service 91 and 93) and currently operating on an extension which ends in March. The service has not yet been put out to tender, but will be. Openness around ideas to increase the usage (noted Destination Tweed). The tender will be put out based on a few scenarios as no firm decision has been made. It should be noted however, that funding constraints do exist. It is anticipated the scenarios would be: Retain existing timetable / service (with community input on tweaks to the existing timetable that would make it more useable – e.g Broughton to Biggar morning bus to come earlier, connectivity to West Linton for Edinburgh connection, accommodating school sporting activities in Peebles, etc.  Will be reviewed whether this would be a large bus or a smaller 16-seater. Hybrid option: Fixed service in the morning / afternoon / peak times (for workers and school children) with timetable tweaked to make it meets the needs of many. Anything in between and beyond would be on demand service (see below) – argument that this could afford more flexibility than existing service. Fully on demand service. ​ First of all, when we talk about “taxi bus”, the reality is that this will be an on-demand bus service, and some ideas on how this would work follows: This would be a smaller 16 seater type vehicle. Would have capacity for bikes, mobility aids and prams (maybe not all at once!). Would be booked in advance – this could be weeks before (to accommodate doctor or dentist appointments), but prior to 4pm a day in advance of travel (there would be some flexibility for on the day bookings but options likely to be more limited). Bookings would be made by telephone and / or app – telephone preferred option as app too fixed based on experience.  Speaking with the driver, they could advise 11:30am not possible, but 11:45am is and create a route to accommodate a number of people. The cost will be equivalent of existing, with concessions remaining valid.    What are next steps?  As a community, we have the opportunity to input (within the next 3-4 weeks around): Which tender suits the needs of the majority (what would be the preference). Any tweaks we would like to make to the existing timetable to make it more useable – e.g Broughton to Biggar morning bus to come earlier, connectivity to West Linton for Edinburgh connection, accommodating school sporting activities in Peebles, etc…..and, if limited fixed time services (in addition to on demand), what are the critical times – e.g. school / work early morning and late afternoon. ​ To gather opinion, there is a small poll that has been created (2 questions – should take