Frustration as mobile bank pulled out of two rural Stirling villages

The move has been criticised after the bank's decision to pull in-person branches out of the villages in 2021.

Bank of Scotland customers living in rural villages in the Stirling area will see mobile banking provisions removed.

The banking giant this week confirmed that the mobile services in Balfron and Killin will be withdrawn from next May.

It comes after the Bank of Scotland shut its branches in the two villages in March 2021.

The bank announced the planned closures back in January 2020, but revealed that provisions in both villages would be maintained through the mobile branch.

In March 2021, the bank said that the mobile branch “provides a personal, face-to-face service to the local communities it visits, giving customers access to everyday banking services such as making deposits, withdrawing cash and paying bills.”

Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed said this week the nearest Bank of Scotland branch for residents of Balfron is a 25-mile round trip to Milngavie and 42-mile round trip to Callander for those in Killin. She added: “Lloyds Banking Group – the owners of Bank of Scotland – reported billions in profits earlier in the year. These profits are being made off the back of cutting services which are having a disproportionate impact on those living in rural areas, elderly people and those facing digital exclusion.

“It‘s important that people have access to their money, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. Although I understand that many people now use online banking, this remains inaccessible to many people, and banks have a duty to meet these customers’ needs.

“In the face of such large profits, closing down a route that sees regular use does not seem justifiable.

“When branches are closed, promises are made that mobile services will still provide much needed in person support to those who cannot travel to the nearest. Cutting these mobile services is reneging on a commitment to customers, and I am extremely disappointed by this decision.

“I will be engaging with Bank of Scotland to raise my concerns, and I encourage anyone who requires support to get in touch with me at Evelyn.Tweed.MSP@parliament.scot.”

A Bank of Scotland spokesperson this week told the Observer the service is being pulled due to the number of visits dwindling.

They said: “As many customers now choose to bank online or through their mobile app, visits to our mobile bank branches have fallen significantly over recent years. The local Post Offices in Killin and Balfron offer everyday banking, with cash also available at close by free-to-use ATMs, alongside other ways to bank such as online, phone and mobile banking services.”

Bank bosses say the mobile branch will no longer visit the two communities from the end of May 2024.

In support of their decision, they added statistics that show 71-per cent of personal customers using the route already use other ways of banking – such as mobile, internet or phone banking, as well as other branches.

They said local Post Offices, which offer everyday banking services, are close by - around 0.2 miles – from the Killin and Balfron stops, with free to use ATMs also within the same distance.

In the run up to the closure, mobile bank branch staff will be on hand to offer support and guidance on the ways customers can continue to bank.

In February 2020, we told how more than 400 signatures had been gathered as part of a petition to be lodged with Bank of Scotland bosses over the planned branch closure in Balfron.

The branches, located in Buchanan Street, Balfron, and Main Street, Killin, had been earmarked for closure in 2020. However the Covid pandemic saw that extended until 2021, when they closed their doors for the final time on March of that year.

In January 2020, the bank said the counters at its Balfron branch were 21 per cent quieter than a year prior, with Killin’s branch down by 17 per cent. Just 171 Balfron customers used the branch on a monthly basis, with just 35 in Killin.

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