STAGECOACH have come under fire again over after a furious lecturer from Ochiltree challenged them on cutting the direct Glasgow service.

Pam Currie , 43, asked the travel company if they were ‘having a laugh’ after they posted a giant explanation for axing the ‘life-changing’ bus in the Cumnock Chronicle.

The advert apologised to customers who felt let down after they cancelled the service last year but justified it by insisting the coaches weren’t suitable because they required ‘a lower floor’.

But Pam hit back tweeting the bus giant admitting she stopped using the bus service ‘because it’s unreliable and Killie bus station is not a safe place at night’.

It comes after the Cumnock Chronicle launched a campaign to reinstate the life changing service after residents were left feeling stranded and ignored.

Having no train station, many people relied on the bus for transport into the city centre for work, to see family, and leave their town.

But despite over 500 signatures on an online petition to reinstate the bus and the Chronicle’s campaign with numerous case studies claiming they have been affected, the bus giant insist there is no demand for the bus to return.

Now Pam is worried that students are being put off higher education because they will struggle to get into Glasgow.

Pam said: “I’m a lecturer and for students in Cumnock there isn’t a lot of services for them to get into Glasgow so they struggle to get to class on time.

“This absolutely puts people off considering to learn in Glasgow so there is less choice for students.

“Uni’s assume students can commute around but they can’t a lot of the time and with kids from poorer areas more likely to live at home, they are forced to travel.

“It means a lot of young people in Cumnock don’t realistically have the option of going to university or college in the city on a financial and practical level."

Pam is also worried about the environmental impact of vital public transport services being axed.

She added: “I’m in a lucky position where I can afford to run a car but not everyone can.

“Not everyone is able to do this and they need to use the connections, Stagecoach claim numbers are up but some people are forced to they have no other option.

“When I first moved to area tried using buses but I found they were really slow and it takes nearly two hours to get to Glasgow.

“As a woman travelling on my own I get to Kilmarnock only to find there’s about 30 minutes till next Cumnock service.

“At the end of the day Stagecoach are a private company they run for money not for communities.

“The Scottish Government need to look at public transport in our society.

“If we look at public transport being glue of community giving access to education, to health services, and really the fabric of our areas then we need to look at what is the wider cost of not having that service.”