JUST THE TICKET
Politicians and unions hail plan for Manchester-style franchise system
Bus services in the west of scotland face their biggest shake-up in 40 years after transport chiefs backed plans to reverse a huge fall in passenger numbers.
Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) hopes to bring buses back under public control following their sell-off in the 80s by the Tories. It will launch a public franchise system, which has been successfully adopted in Manchester. But councillors warned it could take more than five years to implement and have called on the Scottish Government to provide the millions in funding required. A report from SPT said it had “significant concerns in terms of the efficiency, performance, affordability and overall sustainability of the bus network in Strathclyde”.
Passengers regularly complain buses in Greater Glasgow are expensive and infrequent and use has plummeted by a third over the past decade – equating to 70 million fewer bus journeys.
In contrast, buses in Edinburgh, which remain under local authority control, are considered among the best in the UK.
Campaigners have long demanded council bosses across Strathclyde step in after the disastrous buses privatisation.
Stephen Dornan, SPT chairman and an SNP councillor, said: “This is a bold plan to tackle a declining bus market.
“It gives us opportunities to build for growth and deliver a network that is attractive, accessible, and affordable to both passengers who rely on the bus and those we need to get onboard by offering an attractive alternative to the private car.
“The Scottish Government now has to step up with a commitment to support public transport.”
Paul Sweeney, a Labour MSP and long-term campaigner for improved public transport, said: “It really is a historic day for Greater Glasgow. I am delighted the SPT board has accepted the recommendation to bring our buses back under public control.
“Our bus service is woefully inadequate. A franchised model is a unique opportunity to turn back the clock on the deregulation and privatisation which has resulted in higher fares and a less reliable service. Greater Glasgow will join the likes of Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region in making use of new franchising powers. The success of Mayor Andy Burnham’s Bee Network in Manchester has seen fares capped at £2 and night buses extended to areas previously left without any night bus service.”
Alex Rowley, Scottish Labour transport spokesman, said: “The Strathclyde area – much like the rest of Scotland – suffers from an overheated and broken bus market. The SNP must engage fully with SPT.”
But Ralph Roberts, CEO of McGill’s buses, said: “SPT needs to be very careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water in their quest for power.
“They claim the cost of the franchising process to the point of implementation is estimated at up to £15million and we will be interested to see exactly how this figure is justified.”