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CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 
Finance Committee Paper 5 20/02/09 

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 
FINANCE COMMITTEE 


FOR DECISION 


Title: Heather Hopper 501 Bus 

Prepared by: John Thorne, Economic Development Officer 

Purpose 

To seek the Committee’s approval to jointly contribute to the Heather Hopper 
501 bus service in 2009 and 2010. 

Recommendations 

The Committee is asked to: 

a)Agree that CNPA should, in conjunction with Highland and 
Aberdeenshire Councils, co-fund the Heather Hopper 501 bus for the 
years 2009. 

Executive Summary 

1. CNPA have co-funded the 501 Heather Hopper bus service since 2006. 
This request for funding covers 2009. 

2. The National Park Plan identified gaps in public transport provision as a 
major environmental, economic and social issue, forcing visitors and 
residents to use cars, and meaning some have no adequate access to 
transport and all the economic and social benefits that brings. Popular 
recreational sites need to be linked to public transport, and the 
Heather Hopper helps too to fulfil this Priority for Action. In approving 
funding for this service to run in 2008, Finance Committee were clear 
that they wished to see an improvement in uptake. However, it should 
be noted that numbers have reduced during 2008 from 136 per week 
to 91 per week. 

3. The recommendation to approve funding for a further year is made in 
recognition of the on-going targeting of the social benefits set out in 
the National Park Plan. Further effort to target marketing and improve 
uptake is a priority for this service. 

John Thorne 
February 2009 

johnthorne@cairngorms.co.uk