'Lack of detail and serious concerns' over Scottish government bus plans

'Lack of detail and serious concerns' over Scottish government bus plans Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The Scottish government plans to bring the bus network under public control Published 52 minutes ago 21 Comments A trade association which represents bus companies has said there are serious questions over the Scottish government's plans to bring the bus network under public control. Paul White, director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) in Scotland, said the first minister announced "a policy statement but no detail behind it". "We need to know what is meant by public control and how it will impact existing legislation and bus partnerships across the country before we can form a view," he added. Speaking on BBC Scotland's Sunday Show , Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth said her government was "protecting" the public, who had faced a series of route closures in recent years. At the SNP conference in Aberdeen on Saturday, John Swinney announced during his keynote speech that the bus network would be brought under public control by 2031 through franchising and regulation, with a bill to be tabled in Holyrood next year. It has been suggested the changes will allow regional transport partnerships to have more control over route and fares on the bus network, without the government having to actively own it. McGill's accuse Swinney of behaving like dictator over bus plans Published 23 hours ago Scotland 'not like Manchester', Swinney says in dig at PM Burnham Published 1 day ago Swinney's £2 cap on bus fares kicks in - but some call it half a solution Published 7 September Through franchising, it is understood, the government will outline plans for routes and timetables, then ask the bus operators to compete for the business. The successful companies for each route will be paid to operate the service and the government will receive the fare revenue. "With a franchise, you are replacing competition within the market for competition for the market," White told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast. He said this model can be used to regulate buses but raised questions over how it will be funded and what impact it will have on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). "We have about 150 bus operators in Scotland and a number of our members are concerned about what it will mean for their operation if they are not successful in their bids to run the service," White said. Under the proposals, there have been claims from bus operators that they could go "out of business" if they do not win the contracts. White suggested this is the reason why operators, such as McGill's, have spoken out about their concerns and want to understand what it will mean for their business. "There are examples in England where it has been difficult within these franchises to carve out a role for the many SMEs that exist in the bus sector," he added. "Our concern is about finding out more detail at this stage and we need to appreciate there are a number of businesses out there that really need to know what will happen to them after 2031. "We are very alive to the potential implications, which is why we need to sit down with the first minister." Image caption, Paul White said he needed answers from the Scottish government before he could form a view on the latest bus network plans Pierce Glennie, co-founder of electric bus company Ember, described furious reaction from the owners of McGill's - the UK's largest independent operator - as "absurd". Sandy Easdale, who owns McGill's alongside his brother James, accused the first minister of behaving like a dictator and threatened legal action to block the plan. Glennie said Ember, which primarily operates intercity routes, is a "good example of what competition can allow", but also raised concerns about the lack of detail in Swinney's statement. "At worst the regulation would mean we are not able to carry passengers for short journeys, which would be a concern because most of these are from rural village to rural village," Glennie said. "I hope that is not how it is implemented and the government is sensible about this." He claimed taking the bus network into public control would not directly solve the issue of rural routes, as councils already have funding available to support these. Glennie added he wants "substantive discussions, not announcements." At the SNP conference, Swinney also announced the extension of the £2 bus fare cap, with Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to be covered from April. The current cap covers Glasgow and the west of Scotland as well as the Highlands and Islands, with the government planning to expand it to the whole country by the end of the parliamentary term in 2031. How does bus franchising work elsewhere in the UK? Dr Nick McKerrell, a senior lecturer in law at Glasgow Caledonian University, made comparisons between the first minister's announcement and Prime Minister Andy Burnham's decision to introduce a franchised network in Manchester. "There was not a lot of detail in the speech other than phrases around the public control of bus services, which is similar to the rhetoric that the prime minister has said," he told the programme. McKerrell added a franchise model would be "complex" to develop. Since the 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher deregulated the network, most bus routes in the UK have been run by private companies. They decide routes, fares and timetables. Critics say this has led to popular, profitable routes being over-served by multiple operators, while quieter areas lose out. To combat this, buses in London, Manchester and Liverpool have been brought under public control. Under these franchise systems, private firms are given contracts by a local authority to put on buses. The key difference is that the local authority sets fares and the routes, in theory ensuring that there is a better spread of services for a fairer price. Image source, EPA Image caption, Locally controlled bus services returned to Greater Manchester in 2023 According to a report published by Transport for Greater Manchester last year, there had been a 14% year-on-year increase in bus journeys and improved punctuality in areas where buses had been taken under public control. Scotland's local authorities have the power to create their own bus franchises, but doing so is not straightforward. In Greater Manchester, for instance, then mayor Andy Burnham faced legal challenges to his plans. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), which runs the Glasgow Subway and bus stations in and around the city, has published an action plan that proposes returning bus services to public control. However, SPT anticipated that it would take several years to get the scheme up and running. Related topics Scotland Scottish government Scottish Parliament John Swinney Bus travel