Campaigners say transport chiefs must bring buses back under public control, or risk being left behind other areas of the UK. The Better Buses for Strathclyde campaign recently handed a 10,000 strong petition to the board of Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT), calling on them to use new franchising powers to regulate buses across the region. A decision on whether to move towards franchising will be taken by the Board on Friday 15 March. Last week, Wales became the latest area of the UK to announce plans to regulate their entire bus network. London’s buses have always been regulated, and in September last year Manchester became the first UK city-region to re-regulate its buses since 1986, creating its new Bee Network integrated public transport system. In October last year Liverpool announced it would follow. Campaigners are very hopeful that West Yorkshire will announce support for franchising this week, with South Yorkshire also set to follow. Franchising would give SPT the power to regulate bus fares, routes, ticketing arrangements, and bus branding. Campaigners say it is a vital first step to creating affordable, accessible and sustainable bus services which connect seamlessly with trains and the subway. They also want SPT to move towards setting up a new publicly-owned bus company for the region, saying that it has the potential to save millions of pounds a year that could be invested in better services. Ellie Harrison, chair of Get Glasgow Moving, said: “Last week Transport for Wales announced their plans to roll-out bus franchising across the whole nation from 2026. This Thursday, Tracy Brabin - the Mayor of West Yorkshire - is expected to announce her decision to take their buses back under public control, following a sustained grassroots campaign. “Last week the Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard said an independent audit had looked at different options for their region’s bus network and had recommended franchising. He said he hoped they could begin the roll-out by the end of this year. “Councillors and members of the SPT board simply can’t allow Strathclyde to be left behind. They have the power to bring our buses back under public control, so that together we can start creating the world-class, joined-up public transport that people here want and deserve.” Better Buses for Strathclyde is supported by the Scottish TUC, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Get Glasgow Moving, Asthma + Lung UK Scotland, APRS, We Own It, Glasgow City Parents Group, Parents for Future Scotland, Scottish Pensioners Forum, Glasgow Eco Trust, The Poverty Alliance, and many more. Imogen Dow, head of campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Transport is Scotland’s biggest source of climate emissions, so we need cheap, reliable and easy-to-use public transport that allows people to get around without cars. “SPT needs to follow the lead of Wales a
Be the first to comment