Councillor's concern over "depressing" state of Dundee bus station and lack of toilet facilities

Dundee City Councillor Fraser Macpherson has today highlighted the concerns of many constituents and bus passengers over the poor state of Dundee bus station and the lack of toilet facilities.

The bus station is owned and operated by Stagecoach East Scotland and Councillor Macpherson contacted the company about the poor state of the bus station.  He called it ‘rather grubby in places with graffiti and a down at heel look’ and the fact that the public toilets have been closed for many months.
The Commercial Director of Stagecoach East Scotland responded as follows:

“With regard to the overall cleanliness of the Seagate Bus Station, this is managed by an external contractor. While the current standard of service has generally been acceptable, we are aware that increased footfall particularly during weekends, may be placing additional pressure on the existing cleaning provision. As such, we are reviewing our service agreement to ensure that standards continue to meet public expectations."

“In terms of the toilet facilities, unfortunately the main public toilets have been subject to repeated and severe incidents of vandalism over an extended period. We have trialled various mitigation measures over the years, including restricted opening hours and the installation of a barrier system. Regrettably, none of these efforts have been successful in curbing the scale and frequency of the damage which has reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to maintain the facilities safely or effectively. As a result, we have taken the difficult decision to close them for the foreseeable future.”

“We have, however, been able to keep the disabled toilet open for RADAR key holders. While we do still encounter occasional misuse, the level of damage is significantly lower and remains manageable at present.”

“We appreciate the importance of providing public facilities and continue to explore practical solutions that balance accessibility and safety. Please be assured this matter remains under ongoing review for a suitable, sustainable solution.”

Councillor Macpherson said:
“I have responded to Stagecoach seeking assurances that a proper clean-up of graffiti and grubby appearance will be undertaken and that steps are taken to ensure the toilets reopen with appropriate security arrangements to prevent vandalism.”

“I do think in terms of the future, the council should be far more proactive in its engagement with Stagecoach and the other bus companies to ensure there is a good quality public transport hub in the city rather than this rather dated and badly maintained bus station in Seagate.”     
“The council has been on the backfoot in terms of ensuring there is high quality public transport infrastructure – not just a proper, modern public transport hub but also improving other aspects such as better bus shelter cleaning, improved real time information and timetable provision at all bus stops. It can and must do better.”