A CAMPAIGN calling for a direct bus service between Clydebank and a lifeline hospital is gathering pace—gaining the backing of over 400 supporters in one day.

BOSS—Bankies Opposing SPT Strategy—is a community-led campaign that demands a bus is run between Clydebank Bus Station and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Launched on Tuesday, November 10, the BOSS petition quickly attracted support and had been signed by 400 people within 24 hours.

The petition, one of many campaign initiatives to be introduced in the coming weeks, states: “Too many ill, disabled, elderly, families and vulnerable people are struggling with the number of buses required to access an essential health building. By signing up to this campaign, you are demonstrating to SPT that they need to install a direct bus service, as other areas in the Greater Glasgow area have.”

BOSS organisers have welcomed the strong response to the petition, stating it merely counters SPT’s argument that there is insufficient demand to run the bus service effectively.

Craig Edward, chairman of Dalmuir and Mountblow Community Council, is heading up the BOSS campaign.

He said: “These 400 signatures are a great start and we are confident the level of support for the BOSS campaign will continue to rise. “We want 10,000 signatures across this campaign. We will do that via a letter and the petition. We will go door to door and we are hoping to go to the shopping centre to hand out letters for people to sign. There are petitions at shops and there’s the online petition at change.org.”

Mr Edward told the Post he had been inundated with feedback from locals since the launch of the campaign just one week ago.

He said: “We are not asking for a bus to Braehead, this is health care. They do not realise the impact this is having on people’s lives.

“Someone I spoke to broke their toe, an OAP, and rather than go through the three bus chaos she got a taxi, but few pensioners can afford that.

“Another person had a cardiac arrest and one of his loved ones went in the ambulance with him. The family didn’t have a car and they didn’t have the money for a taxi to follow.”

SPT told the Post last week that there was no funding available to provide a hospital bus service from Clydebank.

BOSS campaigners will host a public meeting in Clydebank Town Hall on December 7 when SPT will be asked to attend and address people’s concerns.