The move comes after discussions between Argyll and Bute Council and ABC Schools Ltd regarding the 491 and 492 services.

At present, apart from taking pupils into school in the morning and taking them home again in the afternoon, bus services do not access the joint campus.

The campus, which houses Rothesay Primary, Rothesay Academy and part of Argyll College, has around a thousand adults and children within its boundaries on any one school day.

Although the local bus services from Guildford Square, operated on the council's behalf by West Coast Motors, do pass close to the campus, passengers still face a walk of several hundred metres from the nearest turning point, opposite Rothesay Creamery.

Timetables for both routes already include a stop at the campus, albeit accompanied by a note that the site "will be served as a regular stop once agreement has been reached with Argyll and Bute Council Schools".

Island councillor Isobel Strong, who is also Argyll and Bute's spokesperson on education and lifelong learning, welcomed the news that the buses would soon be able to serve the campus itself.

"This is something I have supported from the start, and seems to be a common-sense solution," she said.

"Such a large facility on the edge of town is bound to have many comings and goings during the school day. These will include parents and guardians collecting pupils for medical appointments or attending the school themselves, Argyll College students attending classes, staff travelling to and from work and so on.

"In addition, there is a lot of activity outwith school hours, with people making use of the various campus facilities. Argyll College, for instance, delivers evening classes from Mondays to Fridays, and it is vital that access is as easy as possible for those who might wish to enrol on its courses.

"It is not acceptable that all these needs should be met by private transport, in most cases private cars."

Service 491 operates in an anti-clockwise direction around Rothesay and will continue to serve Ballochgoy, the Barone Road scheme, the Bush and the Victoria Annexe before calling at the Townhead campus and then returning to Guildford Square.

Service 492 calls at the same places on a clockwise loop around the town.

The date on which the new timetable will start has yet to be agreed, but will be announced shortly.

See also:

Bute bus timetables - from West Coast Motors (Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view timetables)

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