A seasonal visitor route will become a council-run, all-year service under a two-year trial, with funding secured but long-term viability still to be tested.
Stirling Council has agreed to take over operation of the Trossachs Explorer bus service, extending it into a year-round provision under a two-year pilot beginning this summer.
The service, previously run as a seasonal initiative by Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, will now operate throughout the year, connecting rural communities between Callander and Aberfoyle while continuing to serve key visitor destinations including Loch Venachar, Ben A’an and Loch Katrine Pier.
Four return journeys per day are planned, running seven days a week. The route will also link into existing commercial services, including connections onward to Stirling, Balfron and Glasgow.
The move follows positive feedback from both communities and partners, as well as rising usage. Passenger numbers increased by 15 per cent in the second year of the earlier pilot, with the service used not only by visitors but also by residents travelling for work, education and appointments.
The council estimates the annual cost of operating the service at £94,000. Funding for the first year has been approved through the regional transport partnership Tactran, though this remains subject to final confirmation by Transport Scotland. Provision has been identified within council reserves to support the second year of operation.
While the figures are modest in the context of transport spending, the shift to a council-operated model introduces a different set of expectations. Seasonal services can tolerate fluctuation. A year-round timetable invites closer scrutiny, particularly during quieter months when demand is less predictable.
The pilot is intended to test precisely that. The council has committed to reporting back after one year, with a further review towards the end of the trial to determine whether the service should continue in its expanded form.
Alongside the Trossachs route, Stirling is also preparing a separate business case for a potential council-run service linking the Eastern Villages to the city centre and key destinations such as the hospital. That proposal, backed by a £100,000 budget allocation, is expected to come before councillors in June.
Taken together, the projects suggest a broader attempt to reshape rural connectivity through targeted, publicly supported routes. Whether that approach proves sustainable beyond pilot stage will depend less on initial uptake and more on consistent usage across the full calendar year.
For now, the Trossachs Explorer moves from experiment to test case, carrying both visitors and residents through one of Scotland’s most visited landscapes, and into a more uncertain operational model.
