The Scottish independent has reiterated its stance against SPT’s plans for bus franchising
McGill’s Group says that plans for bus franchising from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) are a burden on the taxpayer and an ‘outright seizure of privately-run businesses.’
The independently-owned operator made the comments ahead of a meeting in late February, after which SPT said its draft Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy (SRBS) would be published for public consultation if approved by its Strategy and Programmes Committee.
The SRBS acknowledges many of the issues buses and passengers are facing, including congestion, problems with road infrastructure and escalating operating costs – but according to McGill’s continues to claim that greater control by politicians over bus companies
is the answer to those problems, something with which the operator and its owners vehemently disagree. This company says it has obtained figures from industry experts which confirm SPT’s franchising plans as they stand would cost £400million to taxpayers every year to implement, in excess of SPT’s claimed figure of between £45m and £80m per annum.
Chairman of McGill’s Group Ralph Roberts said: “Many taxpayers will find it staggering that councillors
at SPT are continuing their costly and politically motivated quest for franchising when public services and spending, particularly by local councils, is being slashed across Scotland. Even by starting yet another consultation run by expensive external consultants, SPT is racking up a bill for the public purse all in pursuit of what amounts to business seizure of private bus companies.
“Many scoffed when we said it would take an additional £400million per year to meet SPT’s franchising wishlist but we only need to look at Scotrail, which has cost nearly £600 million more in the first two years of nationalisation than it did under the previous private operator, to see the reality of greater political control.
“SPT’s plan would effectively see them confiscate an expensive private business and then put it up for public auction to the highest bidder. If public control is what SPT wants, they should do the honourable thing and buy back the bus companies they sold many years ago. We would not stand in their way if they believe they can deliver better bus services for the population, and want to purchase existing operators in commercially sound agreements, but they cannot steal a private business as they propose currently.
“The Accounts Commission said last month that councils must be clear with communities about the scale of the financial challenge being faced, and found there had been a budget gap of £759m in Scotland in the last financial year. In Glasgow, the council has already axed 172 teaching posts, with a total of 450 to go over the next three years to save money.
“SPT is a coalition body for 12 councils in the west of Scotland, and it will be council tax payers who will ultimately foot the bill for this act of franchising folly. Nowhere have these politicians and officials at SPT answered why such cuts are being made by councils but they are willing to lavish £400million per year – if they can find it – to take control of the very bus services they couldn’t wait to offload the last time they had control of them. They are out of touch with reality.
“Buses across Strathclyde – already voted best in Scotland by bus users – could be even better if politicians made tough choices on matters they already control such as providing a decent road network, free from congestion, that buses could travel through reliably.”Ralph was referring to a survey carried out by TransportFocus, which found that overall bus satisfaction in Scotland was highest in Strathclyde, at 89%, whilst 76% were satisfied with value for money of bus services.
“McGill’s has no ideological or dogmatic position against franchising per se, but we strongly oppose our business, built up commercially under the laws of the land, and at great expense to the owners Sandy and James Easdale, to be auctioned off to the highest bidder without any level of compensation.
“We’re very fortunate that the owners have already been willing to spend substantial funds to engage leading legal teams to scrutinise every aspect of SPT’s proposition and we’ve now got long-term plans in place on how to respond should SPT continue down this ill-thought-out road.”
The TransportFocus survey was carried out in September 2024, and found that although 86% of users said they were satisfied with their last journey Scotland-wide, only 77% were satisfied with punctuality and waiting times. The survey also found that passengers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire were the least satisfied. In its first year, the survey gathered passenger feedback on more than 3,000 journeys in Scotland.
