Buses in Scotland 'too dear and too unreliable' as calls grow for public control of services

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Bus services are "too dear and too unreliable" for the Scots most dependent on them to get around, campaigners have warned.The Poverty Alliance is now urging the SNP Government to support more councils to bring buses back under local control.MSPs will next week debate a public petition which calls for the re-regulation of buses to be made a priority after years of fare hikes and routes being axed.Peter Kelly, Poverty Alliance chief executive, said: "People on low incomes tell us buses are too dear, too unreliable, and don't meet their needs."Edinburgh is the only city in Scotland to retain public ownership of its local bus fleet, which is regularly hailed as the country's best.Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) announced earlier this year it would pursue a similar model across Greater Glasgow.The current deregulated network could be replaced with a franchise system like the ones in London and Manchester.This means fares, routes and ticketing would be controlled by a local public body such as Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT).But SPT has said it could take seven years to set up and would need at least £45m in extra funding every year.Kelly and other campaigners believe this is too long to wait and called for the Scottish Government to help speed up the process.Local authorities were handed powers over bus franchising in 2019 but critics say few cash-strapped councils can afford to use them."For people in poverty, expensive and inaccessible buses restrict their freedom, lessen their opportunities, and badly impact their health and well-being," Kelly said."High fares and poor services hit them hardest, because they rely more on the bus.