31 December 2007
New Year coach journeys prove a tour winner
A record number of people have embarked on special New Year tours from the three west of Scotland bus stations run by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.
The peak was reached on Sunday when more than 10,000 people left on holiday journeys.
In all, 225 coaches departed from the west of Scotland carrying revellers to Hogmanay and New Year celebrations outside Glasgow. This was on top of the normal services carrying people in and out of the city.
Buchanan Bus Station in the heart of Glasgow had 125 tour coaches departing, Hamilton bus station saw 85 departures and for the first time ever 15 tour coaches left from East Kilbride bus station.
By far the most popular destination was Blackpool in England but there were also significant numbers heading north for the New Year holiday in the Highlands.
Eric Stewart, director of buses at SPT, said: "This has been our biggest ever Hogmanay rush. But everything went off without a hitch. Happy New year to all our travellers."
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