Aberdeen’s free late-night bus service funded by bus gate fines

Aberdeen is launching complimentary late-night bus services for the festive weekend period, financed by revenue from bus gate penalties. These 10 designated routes will operate starting this Saturday and continue until January 5. The services will link Aberdeen’s city centre with various districts within Aberdeen and extend to peripheral areas of Aberdeenshire. Their operational hours will be from midnight to 03:30, covering the transitions from Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday. Funding for these complimentary trips originates from penalties gathered via the contentious city centre bus gate initiative, which commenced last year. In the previous month, the council decided to establish a set of city centre provisions, such as the bus gates, on a permanent basis. While their purpose is to enhance accessibility, these measures have drawn significant criticism from certain residents and local businesses. According to some accounts, both customer traffic and earnings have declined since the implementation of the bus priority initiatives. Aberdeen City Council stated that offering these night bus services aims to bolster the night-time economy and will undergo an evaluation following their introductory trial phase. Kingswells, Westhill, Banchory, Cove, and Stonehaven are included in the areas that will benefit from these connections. Adrian Watson, who serves as the chief executive of the business organization Aberdeen Inspired, commented: “The importance of night buses to Aberdeen cannot be underestimated in terms of getting people home reliably and safely after a night out while boosting the night-time economy.”