New Newburgh timetables...
...from Stagecoach and Moffat & Williamson
It’s becoming clearer what is going to happen from Monday 19th August (2024) when Stagecoach cease their number 36 service between Perth and Glenrothes via Newburgh and replace it with a number 65 between Perth and St Andrews via Newburgh:
This relatively express service between Newburgh and St Andrews would be likely to steal many of the passengers from the Moffat & Williamson 94/94A service between St Andrews and Newburgh - but leave passengers wanting to travel between Newburgh and Glenrothes without a direct service.
And so, Fife Council have agreed with Moffat & Williamson for the 94/94A service to be replaced by a number 63 between St Andrews & Glenrothes, which follows the timetable of the 94/94A between St Andrews & Ladybank and then diverts to Glenrothes:
And a new M36 service between Glenrothes and Newburgh:
The clever aspects of these new services are:
The 63 and M36 share buses - with the 63 turning into an M36 at Glenrothes and vice versa - which means that if you get on one of these buses thinking it’s a 94 you can still get to your destination on that bus, it will just be a bit slower as it travels via Glenrothes
The timetable of the M36 in Newburgh is such that the bus connects well with the Stagecoach 65 - so you can still travel between Perth and Glenrothes - you just have to change buses (and operators) at Newburgh
The downside is that as yet there is no news on the promised shared ticketing between Stagecoach and Moffat & Williamson for these routes - which is particularly relevant as the evening service between Newburgh and St Andrews is operated by Moffat & Williamson as an M65:
So it’s quite likely that you might end up travelling in one direction with Stagecoach and the opposite direction with Moffat & Williamson?
If you pay for tickets this may give you pause for thought.
Currently the available day ticket options are:
A Moffat & Williamson Fife Day ticket which would cover you on the route between St Andrews and Newburgh (via Glenrothes when necessary to stay on Moffat & Williamson) for £6.40 for an Adult ticket
A Stagecoach North East Fife Dayrider ticket would cover you on the faster route between St Andrews and Newburgh using the new 65 service for £8.50 for an Adult ticket
An ABC bus tickets East Fife Zone ticket would cost you £11.20 for an Adult and would allow you to use either Stagecoach or Moffat & Williamson
Or if your journey is more complex and requires travel on a third bus operator you might need a Fife area One Ticket at £12
Both Stagecoach and Moffat & Williamson have separate “Nightrider” tickets available with similar prices and terms: £3.50 for travel after 6pm on their buses - which may affect your decision on what tickets to buy and when
And if your journey extends outside Fife onto the section of the 65 route between Newburgh and Perth you might need to think about a Stagecoach East Scotland Dayrider at £11.50
Let’s compare the timetables with the 94 timetable:
The 94 takes 1 hour 35 minutes to travel between St Andrews and Newburgh.
The 65 will take 43 minutes - less than half the time.
Catching a 63 and sitting on the bus in Glenrothes as it changes to an M36 should take about 2 hours from St Andrews to Newburgh…
Is the speed of the journey more important to you, or does your interest lie in the meandering route of the slower bus?
95 Crail Bus