Progress on implementing bus franchising in Scotland has been painfully slow over the last Parliament.
It took the last Government more than six years to publish the statutory guidance that our transport authority – SPT – needs to even begin the bus franchising process.
And, the Government has created the most complex and time-consuming legislation in the UK – which means we could be waiting until 2031 to see any change on Strathclyde’s streets.
It’s simply not good enough.
Please watch our animation (above) to find out more and take two minutes to email your candidates to demand urgent action in the next Parliament to speed up the process of bus franchising in Scotland.
Suggested Email:
Subject: ๐ Please help deliver Better Buses
To: Send to your candidates using our online tool (above)
Dear [Candidate Name],
Congratulations on being selected as a candidate for the Scottish Parliament election.
I live in your constituency and I’m writing to ask for your help to improve bus services here and across Scotland.
Private bus companies receive millions in public subsidies every year, yet they continue to cut vital routes and hike up fares.
If you’re elected on 7 May, you can help to turn this around โ by taking steps to speed up the process of bus franchising in Scotland, which has been painfully slow since the Transport (Scotland) Act was passed by the Parliament in 2019.
Bus franchising offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take our buses back into public control. This will mean our regional transport authorities can plan bus routes to meet communities’ needs, to connect seamlessly with ferries, trains, subway and active travel, and we can have one simple, affordable ticket for use across all transport modes.
I was delighted to see Scotland’s biggest regional transport authority โ SPT โ finally approve ambitious plans to take forward bus franchising as part of the new Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy. This will be truly transformational for the 2.2 million people living in the region and will create a blueprint for other transport authorities to follow.
But SPT has been severely held back by the Scottish Government. It took the last Government more than six years to publish the statutory guidance required to progress bus franchising, and they have created the most complex and time-consuming legislation in the UK.
Please take two minutes to watch this short video explaining the issues with the legislation and the extent to which Scotland now lags behind England and Wales in implementing bus franchising.
We need all political parties to commit to supporting the roll-out of bus franchising in your Holyrood manifestos or we could be waiting until 2031 to see any change on Scotland’s streets.
If you are elected on 7 May, you must ensure that:
- The legislation is simplified within the first 100 days
โ The new Scottish Government must work fast to introduce a short ‘Transport (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill’ to simplify the Scottish bus franchising powers to bring them in line with England’s now tried-and-tested Bus Services Act 2017. - Funding is committed to SPT and other regional transport authorities
โ English city regions have received between ยฃ1bn โ ยฃ2.5bn each to deliver and/or enhance bus franchising and other transport infrastructure over the next five years. Scottish city regions must get similar levels of investment.
If you want to find out more, please read Better Buses for Strathclyde’s evidence to the Scottish Parliament โ part one and part two โ which explains these issues in detail and clearly sets out what needs to be done to resolve them.
Please make sure you watch and share this video with your colleagues.
And let me know what action your party plans to take to help deliver Better Buses.
With best wishes,
[Add your name]
[Add your address and postcode]
