PUBLIC

THE removal of bus regulation has been bad for Unite members and bad for passengers.

It’s bad for our members as their pay has taken a massive hit.

In the period before deregulation, average bus drivers’ wages were similar to average wages for all occupations.

In the decade following deregulation, drivers’ wages fell 11%, while average wages went up 25%. That gap is still there.

The Sunday Post has done a great job of showing how the lack of bus regulation has been bad for passengers, with falling journeys, routes being cut, rocketing fares and poor transport connections – and all despite a massive public subsidy for the bus companies.

We need a bus service that puts passengers before profit, and Unite believes that’s best achieved by bringing buses back under regulation and public ownership.

Scotland’s bus services can be world-class but the first stop along that road is at the doors of the Scottish Parliament.

Now is the time for our MSPs and the Scottish Government to get on the bus.