The rapidly expanding McGill’s Group says that the ‘eye-watering £226 million annual bill for Manchester’s bus franchising debacle’ should be an alarm bell for Scottish politicians looking to implement franchising in the Greater Glasgow area.
In an emotively-worded press release issued in late March, the Scottish independent company and its owners said that Manchester bus services have also been ‘slammed’ by customers, and ranked in 36th place out of 39 operators in England, compared to services in Strathclyde which were ranked the best in Scotland, and where a direct comparison would place them in the top 10 bus services in England, with a customer satisfaction rating of 88%.
McGill’s owners Sandy and James Easdale have criticised the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) franchising plans again after budget papers from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority showed the cost to the taxpayer of Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s Bee Network. The Easdales argue that Manchester’s figures prove beyond doubt what McGill’s Group’s own analysis has already shown, that should Strathclyde adopt the same franchise model it will cost an additional £400 million per year to implement.
Sandy Easdale said: “It’s been less than six months since Andy Burnham [came] up here, claiming he was the all-knowing bus guru who could help bring franchising to Strathclyde. But what he conveniently failed to mention was the colossal £226 million annual price tag dumped on taxpayers in Greater Manchester – all because he wants to tighten his grip on public transport.
“No politician – not one councillor, MSP, or government minister – can now claim ignorance over the true cost of this madness. And it will be even worse in Strathclyde, where the population is more spread out and the financial burden even greater. The expert analysis we commissioned puts the real cost at £400 million per year, and if our so-called leaders push ahead knowing this, it will join Scotland’s ever-growing list of political disasters – from the ferry fiasco to the shambolic deposit return scheme and the outrageous malicious prosecutions scandal.”
James Easdale added: “The reality is clear – this isn’t about improving services; it’s about politicians, egged on by loony activists, grabbing power. Instead of finding ever more absurd ways to waste public money year after year, perhaps they should focus on encouraging economic growth and making the country and its citizens more prosperous rather than poorer. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen flat-out reject bus franchising, calling it ‘gambling with taxpayers’ money on a vague, unworkable idea.’ It’s about time some common sense emerged before Scotland sleepwalks into yet another financial disaster.”
