New Berwickshire bus service is proving a godsend

Since the Pingo service was introduced in May this year there has been a steady increase in people utilising it, the majority (80 per cent) booking through a ‘Ride Pingo’ app and the others (20 per cent) by telephone.

Significantly the service has enabled young Berwickshire folk to have greater access to public transport – and they are utilising it.

At an on-line meeting of Tweeddale Area Partnership last night, Tuesday, August 23, Gordon Grant, principal transport officer with Scottish Borders Council said Pingo, which operates seven days a week, from 7am to 9pm, had received “brilliant feedback” and that usage has increased month on month.

Mr Grant said: “With Reston train station coming in and the under-22 free travel scheme coming in it was key for us on how we look to shape the bus network on the back of Covid-19 and how demand-responsive transport would work, particularly in a rural area.

“At the moment feedback is really good. Some of the things we are seeing are people making trips that they wouldn’t normally make to restaurants and pubs, and leaving their car at home.

“The July figures show that it accounts of 45 per cent of the journeys of the under-22s and its shows that there are a lot of young people in Berwickshire who haven’t had access to public transport that now do.”