Photo: Eddie (Flickr)
Glasgow buses set to return to public ownership
20 March 2024
by Christopher Carey
Glasgow is one step closer to bringing local bus services back into public ownership after the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) approved plans to establish local-bus franchising.
The move would bring fares, routes and ticketing under the control of a public body such as the partnership that is responsible for transport in Glasgow and western Scotland.
The group said franchising could offer the “greatest certainty for the best outcomes” for passengers but that it would take between five and seven years and cost around £15 million (US$19 million) to set up.
“This is a bold and ambitious plan from SPT which sets a strong approach to tackle a declining bus market,” said SPT chairman Stephen Dornan.
“It gives us opportunities to build for growth and deliver a network that is attractive, accessible and affordable to both passengers in our communities who rely on the bus to get around, and those who we need to get ‘on board’ by offering an attractive alternative to the private car.
“However, any franchising option will take time and investment to establish so we need to look at doing something now to halt the declining bus market.”
Improvement Partnerships
In the interim, Bus Service Improvement Partnerships (BSIPs) will be put in place with bus firms to run services.
These allow a local transport authority like SPT to impose a minimum frequency for services and a cap on fares, although they cannot set routes or the actual fares.
Franchise systems are currently in place in other UK cities such as London and Manchester and are being introduced in Liverpool.
“In order to progress any of these options, we need investment from the Scottish Government, which now has to step up with real funding and a commitment to support public transport, particularly buses,” added Dornan.
Pushback
Scotland’s largest bus operator McGill’s has warned that bus franchising could cost taxpayers £100 million annually and said it would take legal action if the plans went ahead.
“The bus users of Strathclyde consistently tell us that their number one issue in using buses is congestion, which affects service reliability, journey times and cost of travel,” said McGill’s CEO, Ralph Roberts.
“The biggest priority for SPT should be to push local authorities to manage their infrastructure under the powers they already have which will allow bus users to make more consistent, quicker and cheaper journeys.”
Image: Eddie (Flickr)
