‘Radical’ plans considered for crisis-hit buses

BUS services in Scotland could be operated under rail- style franchise deals, the Transport Minister has revealed.

Humza Yousaf said nothing was off the table in a planned shake- up of the crisis- hit bus industry – other than re- imposing full state regulation which was scrapped when Margaret Thatcher privatised bus services in the 1980s.

But union chiefs insisted that was exactly what should be on the agenda – and pointed out that it was SNP policy while the party were in opposition.

Unite Scottish Secretary Pat Rafferty said it was “bizarre” that ministers were reluctant to re-regulate bus services.

Last month, The Sunday Post revealed a fifth of the country’s bus routes have been axed over the last decade and there are growing fears over plummeting bus usage in Scotland.

Addressing a fringe meeting at the SNP conference, Mr Yousaf raised the prospect of creating franchise deals for local bus services. He said: “I’m not prepared to accept this decline of patronage on buses.

“In that regard I have to be open-minded to all options.

“Of course the party has certain polices – our policy is not for full re- regulation – but that doesn’t mean we should not consider things which are fairly radical.

“For instance, local franchises. [ The publicly owned] Lothian Buses has bucked the trend in patronage. What are they doing right that could be an example to others?

“Everything, just about, should be on the table for me to explore, but the ownership of buses is not going to be the solution for issues like congestion and we have to recognise that.”

But Mr Rafferty said: “Unite urges the Scottish Government to drop its opposition to bus regulation.

“Quite frankly, it’s bizarre that something that was once a flagship policy of the SNP has been dropped without any explanation. We believe bus regulation has widespread support in Scotland.

“As The Sunday Post has shown, too many passengers in Scotland are suffering from fragmented, expensive bus services.

“Deregulation was a disaster for Scotland. It was a policy created by a Thatcher government that put profit before passengers.

“We urgently need the Scottish Government to put it right.”

A Transport Bill due in the next 18 months at Holyrood is expected to contain plans for a shake-up of the industry.

However, it is understood the industry’s big players – First and Stagecoach – would resist franchising, because, unlike with the railways, they own the vehicles.