The Dunoon Observer reported on 10 November 2026 that Dunoon residents travelling to hospital appointments in Inverclyde can avoid an expensive taxi from Gourock Railway Station. McGill's new 540 service connects Gourock town centre with Inverclyde Hospital. Cowal residents who cross the Clyde by ferry for an appointment can catch the bus to the hospital instead of paying for a taxi.
The campaign
The route follows a lengthy campaign by Gourock Community Council, working with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport on gaps in local public transport. The campaign was driven by concerns in Gourock, and the link is also expected to benefit patients from Dunoon and the wider Cowal area. In September the community council announced that the campaign had helped secure funding for the route. The service is an initial 21-week trial. Campaigners want passengers to use it so the demand for a permanent connection is clear, and the community council is asking for feedback that could shape later changes.
The contract
McGill's Buses is operating the 540 from Monday 2 November 2026, on a contract from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport funded through the Transport to Employment programme. The contract covers that initial 21 weeks. The route gives a direct link between Inverclyde Hospital and Gourock town centre via Midton, listed as Inverclyde Royal Hospital to Gourock Railway Station, up to every 40 minutes through the day from Monday to Saturday. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport lists the 540 as Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Midton and Gourock, operated by McGill's. The programme's services run from 1 November 2026 until 27 March 2027. Funding is only for that period, with none confirmed beyond March 2027, and any decision to carry on sits with the operator. The trials are not subsidised by the partnership. They are intended to improve access to employment and to test passenger demand, in the hope that a successful route can continue on a commercial basis.