Public transport group needed

Sir, Regarding last week’s letter entitled Minister replies, the reply was written by Transport Scotland, which is OK, as all ministers are all appearing to be so very busy.

My text relates to the part of the letter regarding the coordination between ferry and buses. The author writes: ‘... if you have any concern, then you should raise them with the Arran Ferry Committee, and these will be progressed through the usual channels.’

Now, this is a funny response, as the Arran public has never voted for any of the committee members. They elect new members themselves if needed. Of course, the committee keeps to its brief, the ferries, and is not really interested in any other topics.

I suggested to them several years ago they should widen their brief and rename them to something like Arran Public Transport Group, including ferries and buses. The response was, after I had asked if I missed the answer about a month later, a simple but friendly: ‘No way.’ However, I was not surprised, as closed, unelected entities do not volunteer to accept such fundamental changes. But to represent all people who use public transport, it needs a much wider view than just the ferries. It needs the combined ideas of all inhabitants, holiday house owners, guests and business.

So, let us have a new, publicly elected committee for the all-important public transport questions to deal with the authorities and government agencies.

Just as an afterthought, public transport will get much more important when you look at the prospect of the next 20 and more years. Electric and driverless vehicles will certainly come and this definitively needs new thinking and solutions, which we should not just leave to politicians and global business.

Yours, Bruno Baumgärtner, Corriecravie.