May 29 2025
The Confederation of Passenger Transport today responded to the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport Regional Bus Strategy consultation.
The strategy places bus at the heart of Strathclyde’s public transport network, noting 25% of adults in the region use bus at least once a week. It sets out a vision for buses that are more frequent, more reliable, more affordable and easier to use. To achieve this, SPT proposes the delivery of a franchise model.
The consultation sets out a series of 41 measures to achieve the policy goals that SPT believes would be simpler to progress through franchising. The measures include setting minimum levels of service for all town and key destinations, improved bus priority, extending concessionary fares, decarbonising the bus fleet, and better cross-modal integration.
The Strategy’s Options Appraisal indicates franchise set up costs of around £15m and ongoing annual costs of £45m-£85m, depending on the speed and scale of measures introduced. The economic case for SPT’s franchise proposals hinges on the Scottish Government offering new financial support for regulatory reform on par with the funding it currently provides for bus services via the Network Support Grant across the entirety of Scotland.
Paul White, CPT’s Director, Scotland, said:
“Bus operators across Strathclyde share SPT’s vision to deliver frequent, reliable, and affordable buses. However, local authority control of buses will not, in isolation, enhance services or encourage any more passengers to catch the bus.
“The key to increasing passenger numbers is to speed up journeys, tackle congestion and to provide an attractive, accessible, and affordable alternative to the private car. Every passenger who switches from car to bus will cut congestion, contribute to better air quality and deliver a boost to the local economy.”
“CPT welcomes SPT’s recognition of the critical role bus plays. However, many of the measures proposed to improve bus, such as enhanced bus priority, accessible bus stops, integrated ticketing, and the creation of a customer charter, can be taken forward without franchising, at potentially less expense, and no increased burden on the taxpayer.”
Research published by CPT found that a 10% increase in bus speeds typically increases passenger demand by 2.5% and reduces the operating costs of buses by 8%, releasing money that can be invested in more frequent services, or in zero emission vehicles.
If an increase in bus speeds is combined with measures to increase the cost of running a car, passenger demand has the potential to increase by as much as 20% - equivalent to an extra twenty-six million bus journeys a year across Strathclyde and the South West of Scotland.
SPT’s draft Regional Bus Strategy can be found here.