Off the buses
MSP calls for better service
A POPULAR mantra is that workers should give up cars and go by bus.
Not only does public transport cut air pollution, we are told, but leaving the car at home helps fight climate change.
All well and good, but new figures show members of the public are not being helped to make the switch.
Fares have consistently risen over the last decade and the number of journeys has fallen. Part of the problem is industry deregulation and the drive for profit by bus companies.
The Scottish Government must use all levers at its disposal to encourage the creation of publicly-run bus firms.
BUS fares have soared over the past decade at the same time as passenger numbers have fallen dramatically.
Department for Transport statistics show bus fares have risen at almost twice the rate of inflation since the SNP took power 12 years ago – and are 64 per cent more expensive than in 2002.
Meanwhile, passenger journeys fell by 108million – or 22 per cent – between 2007 and this year.
Labour MSP Colin Smyth said: “Under the SNP, Scotland’s bus network has plummeted in popularity and suitability, and skyrocketed in price.
“The SNP must act now to ensure that Scotland’s poorly regulated bus network is both value for money and fit to suit the needs of the people of Scotland.”
Buses are largely operated by profitable private firms such as First Bus and Stagecoach, with public sector organisations such as Lothian Buses in the minority.
The Scottish Government has faced calls to fully reverse the deregulation of the industry pushed through by the Thatcher government in the 80s but ministers have declined to support the move.
Smyth, who is his party’s spokesman on transport, said:
“Labour successfully amended the Transport Bill to lift the ban on local councils being able to run bus services. The SNP now needs to get on and implement this change and provide our councils with the funding to set up and run local bus services to reverse the decline.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are working to make services more attractive and increase passenger numbers.
“The Transport Act provides local authorities with options to influence and improve services in their area, ensuring that there are sustainable bus networks across Scotland.
“We are bringing forward long-term funding of more than £500million for a Bus Partnership Fund for local authorities and to roll out infrastructure for the trunk road network to prioritise buses in congested areas, helping to improve punctuality and reliability.”