St Andrews and Stirling
History of buses between St Andrews and Stirling
As Wikipedia will tell you - there was a bus that ran between St Andrews and Stirling from the 1930s - initially the route continued on to Glasgow - but the route has gradually shortened and was finally withdrawn in 2020.
This page gives ideas on how to make the journey now that the route no longer runs.
Timetables keep changing
It's always worth checking the latest timetables - Stagecoach details are at: https://www.stagecoachbus.com
Moffat & Williamson timetables are at: https://moffat-williamson.co.uk/moffat-and-williamson-timetables
Bay Travel timetables are on bustimes.org at: https://bustimes.org/operators/bay-travel
The operator of the 202 service between Kinross and Tillycoultry via Dollar is changing from Bay Travel to Stagecoach Perth from 3rd July 2023 - see Stagecoach announcement: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-24/05/2023-09:27:59:555
McGills East Scotland timetables are at: https://www.mcgillsscotlandeast.co.uk
Megabus timetables on the Scottish Citylink website: https://www.citylink.co.uk/timetables.php
Frequent is best?
There is a multi-bus route between St Andrews and Stirling Bus Station that has buses from Stirling to St Andrews up to twice an hour - changes to the timetable on 25th June 2023 mean that in the other direction from St Andrews to Stirling connections generally only work once per hour.
First departure from St Andrews on a weekday is at 05:35 getting to Stirling Bus Station at 08:34. Final departure from St Andrews at 19:40 getting to Stirling at 22:51.
From Stirling an 05:45 gets to St Andrews at 09:00. Final departure is a 20:30 getting to St Andrews at midnight.
You will see that this route is slower than the old 23 route - around 3 hours rather than just over 2 hours on the 23 - but it does run earlier and later than the 23 - and while you have to change buses at least once and quite possibly twice - the frequency of the services means that you shouldn't have to wait too long when you do change...
So, what is this route?
The route breaks down into two parts with a change at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.
Between FVRH and Stirling you use the McGills East Scotland 38.
Between FVRH and St Andrews you use the Stagecoach Express services - primarily the X24 which runs hourly direct between FVRH and St Andrews - but alternatively the X27 and X59 changing at Halbeath
From St Andrews you need to catch an X24 as following timetable changes on 26th June 2023 the X59 from St Andrews no longer connects with an X27 at Halbeath Park and Ride.
From Stirling Bus Station catch a 38 to FVRH - it's now as quick to aim for either an X27 via Halbeath or the direct X24 from FVRH to St Andrews, but to keep on the move and take advantage of any late running buses change to any Stagecoach Express heading east - if it's an X27 change again at Halbeath Park & Ride to any Stagecoach Express going to Glenrothes - if it doesn't go to St Andrews change again at Glenrothes to an X59 or X24 (or X59A or 59) to St Andrews. Beware if you catch the last bus which is an X24A that it goes a slower route via Kirkcaldy and you need to change at Halbeath to an X59A to get to St Andrews for midnight.
As you will be using buses from two different operators you may want to think about a multi-operator bus ticket such as the One-Ticket.
But Megabus is faster?
There is a bus approximately every hour that will get you between St Andrews and Stirling Bus Station in just over 2 hours and that's using a Megabus between Dundee and Stirling - usually the M8 service - sometimes the M9 stops at Stirling Bus Station.
First departure from St Andrews is at 07:33 - this gets to Stirling for 09:57. Last bus from St Andrews is at 22:55 getting to Stirling at 01:05.
First departure from Stirling is at 03:25 with a long wait in Dundee getting to St Andrews at 06:31. The next departure at 05:25 is better, getting to St Andrews at 07:32. And the last one is at 21:25 getting to St Andrews at 23:20.
While the service is intended to be hourly, there are occasional gaps of around 2 hours in services as the timetable switches from daytime to evening operation.
You can check the Megabus timetables on the Scottish Citylink website - download their Glasgow/Perth/Stirling/Dundee/Aberdeen timetable - that's the one that includes the Stirling/Dundee services.
You are recommended to book your Megabus ticket in advance if you can.
This route is easiest to use starting in Stirling - if there's a Dundee bound Megabus due or waiting in Stirling bus station then if you can get on board and get to Dundee then the Stagecoach 99 service should provide a frequent shuttle from Dundee bus station to St Andrews.
The main worry comes in bad weather when the Tay Road Bridge may be closed due to high wind - if the bridge is closed for any length of time the 99 between Dundee and St Andrews will divert via Perth, take at least an hour longer and only run once an hour at best...
Which route to choose?
I would tend to choose the Stagecoach Express X24 via FVRH and McGill's 38 on the way from St Andrews to Stirling - because although it is probably slower overall the frequency of the 38 at 3 buses per hour means that if there are any problems on route you are likely to be waiting less time for the next bus.
But in the opposite direction from Stirling to St Andrews I would tend to choose the Megabus to Dundee and the Stagecoach 99 because the frequency of the 99 means there's even less time to wait if something goes wrong on route.
New Electric Bus between Dundee and Stirling
From 1st August 2022 "ember" will be running an electric coach service between Dundee and Glasgow via Stirling.
You can see the timetable at: https://bustimes.org/services/e3-dundee-glasgow
The stop near Stirling is at the Castleview Park & Ride in Raploch - this may be convenient for where you want to go, in which case this is the route to choose.
If you want to go into the city of Stirling then the only bus from the Park & Ride is the P2 service which is intended for workers and shoppers with a first journey about 07:30 and a last journey around 17:30.
The E3 picks up in Dundee at the Science Centre round the corner from Dundee Rail Station and returns to the Rail Station - so it can be quite quick to change to and from the E3 if you are also travelling on the 99.
At the moment we are not including this bus in our spreadsheets because it doesn't quite fit into being a replacement for the old 23 bus between St Andrews and Stirling Bus Station - but it's something to bear in mind as a possibility.
The same is true for another rival bus that runs between Dundee and Glasgow via the Castleview Park & Ride in Raploch run by Flixbus.
Remember that it's always worth looking at https://www.travelinescotland.com/ if you are planning a journey that doesn't quite fit the journeys that we are describing on these pages - and you can "untick" Train from the list of modes of transport if you are looking for Bus and Coach journeys...
What if you really want to go to Dollar or Alva?
If it's not actually Stirling you want to travel to and you really need to connect with the 202 via Kinross then there is an occasional Stagecoach 201 service between Glenrothes and Kinross or you could change at Halbeath Park & Ride and use an X56 between there and Kinross.
The addition of the Moffat & Williamson 66 to Kinross helps to speed the journey.
We are now recommending that you use Traveline Scotland to plan your journey.
Moffat & Williamson route 66 change from 4th January 2021
Moffat & Williamson are providing a new service to Kinross following the demise of the Stagecoach Service 23. From Monday 4th January 2021, Fife Council Supported Service 66, which previously operated between Gateside and Glenrothes via Strathmiglo and Auchtermuchty, is extended to Kinross Park and Ride. There are six services in each direction Monday – Friday. The service is also amended to operate via Ladybank, ensuring that Kettlebridge, Tofthill and Markinch retain travel options with service 66. The timetable also allows for connections with the Kinross to Tillycoultry service (202).
The Monday to Friday timetable for this service has appeared on https://bustimes.org/services/66-burnside-glenrothes-2 - the times at Kinross Park and Ride were once intended to connect with the 202 but this no longer seems to be the case and you are recommended to use Traveline Scotland to plan your route if you want to travel on this route to or from somewhere between Glenrothes and Tillycoultry.