Winter transport guide released next week

The Orkney winter transport guide will be available from next week from travel centres in the county, Orkney Islands Council Customer Services and online at www.orkney.gov.uk.

Other pick-up points for the guide include libraries in Stromness and Kirkwall; Stagecoach, Orkney Ferries, NorthLink and Pentland Ferries offices; and Kirkwall Airport.

Key local transport timetabling changes for winter 2012 include:

• The half hourly service 9 A/C will change from September 26, to take in the previous service 5 round Craigiefield. The revised service 9 will provide a more regular service past Islands View and Orkney College, will cover more areas more often, and passes through the centre of Kirkwall (Travel Centre and supermarkets) twice in each hourly service.
• The service 4 to the airport will change on a Sunday from October 24, the same day Loganair timetables change, to ensure that buses meets with all internal and external flights.
• The service 9 (Kirkwall town centre) will also change on October 24, to include an extra service on Sundays.
• From September 26, Watson Drive and Rope Walk in Kirkwall will be serviced by the airport bus (service 4), not the town service (service 9).
• Registered school services to Stromness Academy have been included in the timetable as members of the public can also use these services to get to Stromness on a daily basis during term time.