Your chance to influence buses shake-up

A consultation has been launched on Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s (SPT) plans to bring buses back under public control.

SPT last month published the Strathclyde regional bus strategy which included options to franchise the bus network.

Consideration is also being given to providing small municipal bus companies with support to deliver socially-necessary services.

The franchise approach would see SPT or an identified body set bus routes, fares and frequencies with performance targets and customer feedback used to inform what operators are paid to run services.

It would seek to cover the Strathclyde region which includes Renfrewshire and 11 other councils and has a population of 2.2 million.

However, such a change would likely to take seven years and £15 million to implement.

SPT chair, Councillor Stephen Dornan, said:“This is an opportunity for everyone to have their say on the future of the bus network across our region.

“We have heard from a lot of people already about the state of the network and what needs to be done to fix it.

“This is your chance to help us take forward the best options to help halt the decline in bus services across the west of Scotland.”

The consultation feedback will inform the delivery framework within which SPT will develop the detailed bus strategy over the next year.

Visit https://bit.ly/3vG5x7Q for more information on the consultation report and how to respond.

The deadline for responding is midnight Monday, May 13.

In Monday’s Express, McGill’s Buses CEO Ralph Roberts said Renfrewshire could have a world-class bus service if the council put world-class roads and transport infrastructure in place.