15/02/2026
❌Stagecoach North Scotland are currently experiencing a vehicle shortage - meaning they do not have enough vehicles to run all timetabled services.
The operator continues to experience high levels of vehicles breakdowns resulting in buses spending excessive periods off the road awaiting for replacement parts or buses that are no longer viable to repair and are awaiting replacement vehicles. Many of the vehicles particularly at Peterhead depot are reaching the end of their working lives and are no longer as reliable as they once were.
Unfortunately, some of the initial replacement vehicles the operator has obtained have been found to be unfit for service and have had to be scrapped so the hunt goes on for alternatives.
⚠️What this means for passengers:
Each day services will need to be cancelled so that the timetable reflects the amount of available buses to each depot in the morning.
The operator has drawn up a list of services that are priority for cancelling. These are the ones that should have the least impact on each route and some of these runs have not operated since January now. You may find that the same bus is cancelled every day as a result. This is pre planned.
The company has made decision to stop publishing details of what runs are being cancelled each day. The company tells us that previous public posts on X of cancellations had drawn negative criticism of the company which it seeks to avoid. You will only be able to see the cancellations by checking the Stagecoach app or Traveline website. These may be updated at short notice.
If a bus breaks down there is unlikely to be a replacement bus to continue the service and you may be asked to wait for the next scheduled bus to catch up with it.
Some contingency services are being run where buses may only operate part of the route and you may be asked to transfer buses on to another service where these meet.
Some buses may run early to plug gaps in services caused by other journeys being cancelled.
On occasions you may find the vehicle being used is smaller than the loadings for the route or does not come fitted with a toilet or working heating system or quipped with a display to show the route and destination. This is because the correct bus is not available.
⚠️What you can do to help:
If you are travelling on the Aberdeen to Inverness corridor you are advised to use Ember services where possible as these are running as normal. Stagecoach Inverness services are running with delays of up to 30 minutes at some points due to vehicle shortage.
If you live in Torry or Northfield consider using FirstBus services as these are operating to a higher reliability level. Service 59 is being heavily impacted as there is an alternative First Bus services at most stops. This is to try and protect other routes.
On the Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Banff and Stonehaven corridors where there is no alternative bus service aim to catch an earlier bus where possible, check the app for cancellations before travelling, avoid journeys that are being cancelled daily and dress appropriately as you may be waiting over 30 minutes for a bus at the stop.
If you are travelling to ARI or Aberdeen International Airport you are particularly warned to leave for an earlier bus to avoid missing appointments/flights.
🚌The operator hopes to obtain more replacement buses soon to be able to improve reliability on its network.
