Transform Scotland has today published its briefing ahead of the Scottish Government’s ‘Strengthening Scotland’s Bus Network’ debate in the Scottish Parliament.
We welcome greater public accountability for bus services. But bus reform should concentrate on empowering local and regional transport authorities to implement new arrangements that suit their circumstances.
Affordability is important, flat-fare ticketing has merit, and the £2 bus fares cap is a bold measure – but we have a number of concerns.
The motion does not explicitly address bus priority, journey times, service reliability, integrated ticketing or additional investment in infrastructure. This is a significant omission given that the available evidence demonstrates that traffic and congestion – not institutional arrangements – remain the primary negative influence on bus patronage.
Scotland needs bus reform, but legislation and funding announcements alone will not reverse declining patronage.
The Scottish Government should prioritise competitive journey times, fair and integrated fares, effective local governance and dependable rural connectivity.
The ultimate measure of success is whether more people can make more journeys by bus — and choose to do so instead of travelling by car.
