Bid to halt 'the sharp decline' in rural bus services By Gordon Calder Published: 16:45, 11 February 2021 Get the Courier and Groat sent to your inbox every week and swipe through an exact replica of the day's newspaper AN action plan is being drawn up in a bid to halt "the sharp decline" in rural bus services which has been heightened by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Hitrans, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands, wants more funding from the Scottish Government to be targeted on sustaining rural and island bus services. It believes lessons can be learned from the Covid crisis to tailor future services more closely to the needs of local areas, with major input from community transport groups.