Scotland's buses to be brought back into public control.

[Needacalminginfluence]

I've just seen John Swinney's announcement about this.
I'm a non car owner and rely on buses. I live in an area where Stagecoach currently have the monopoly. In the 10 years I've lived in the town the service has deteriorated substantially in frequency. And the buses ability to run to the scheduled timetabled time is often farcical. For a town the size of the one I live in the service is totally inadequate.
I just hope bringing the buses back into public control improves things.

How does this process work? Will the Scottish Government set up their own companies or compulsory purchase parts of Stagecoach?

The service will still be provided by private companies. The system will resemble Manchester's Bee Network, where public authorities dictate routes, timetables, and fares, while private firms bid on operational contracts.

This is what we are doing in Wales as well - the Bill got Royal Assent back in February, Operators will be required to run services under fixed contracts set by Welsh government rather than operating on a commercial basis. I drive (have to with my job) but I take public transport where and when I can. It's due to come my area (South West Wales) between 2027 and 2028... it will be interesting to see the difference. I find First Cymru fairly underwhelming - their app is hit and miss and their street furniture is dilapidated (good luck finding any bus stop with either a reader/ticker tape on it, let alone with an actual name/number to tell you which bus stop it actually is! They do have printed timetables up but they're out of date and impossible to read because of water ingress behind the plastic display!) Will also be interesting to see the impact on journey routes, regularity and pricing. Watch this space I guess.

The thing that annoys me most atm about my local bus service provider, apart from the inability of the buses to run on time, and the way the frequency of our local bus service has diminished in the 10 years I have been here , is the inaccuracy of their app.
After the last update of the app the journey planner stopped acknowledging that a certain bus stop actually exists. . Even though multiple.bus services stop at it it and it is situated outside an airport . I sent in feedback both on the app contact form and also directly to the bus company company services direct. Not actually a task they make easy. And the journey planner still does not acknowledge the bus stop in question. I'm ok.in that I know that the app info is inaccurate. But pity help those not familiar with the local bus service or strangers to the area.
As someone not only reliant on public transport but also someone who thinks encouraging the use of public transport is necessary and the way forward, I just hope that this move by the Scottish government injects a bit of professionalism into the system as well as a much better provision of services actually geared to community and commuter needs.

Why do it though? Where’s the benefit for Scottish citizens? Surely this is just going to be really expensive and the money could be spend much more wisely in - say - increasing accommodation for homeless people / increasing drugs rehab beds / reopening PRUs / increase police presence to clamp down on shoplifting and antisocial behaviour? Things that would make a vast difference to people’s lives.

Given that so much of Scotland is rural, I assume it will mean better services for rural passengers.

As long as the area is snp voter heavy…..

Yes it will hopefully mean more reliable services for rural people but it won’t be the get everyone to stop using their cars that the government are trying to force, due to the geography of where I live for example it’s the amount of time it takes to get anywhere, you could have a bus every 5 minutes but it’s still going to take too long for it to be a viable alternative for those who need to use their cars especially for work etc

I agree @Minniena that all the things you mention are really important. But for a lot of people, myself included, buses are a really important life line. When I moved from Glasgow to the town I now live in the availability of public transport was one of the major factors in chosing where to buy my home. And the deterioration of the bus service has been negative on my quality of life. Work, shopping, doctor's and hospital appointments ,schools, socialising and leisure and many other things for a lot of people are only doable by bus. So I think it is really important that the government recognise the need for a bus service fit for purpose. A lot of areas just dont have this atm.

Aren’t bus services largely subsidised by the government though? Surely the government has a fair bit of control over the services provided already. Why not just withhold funding unless a company agrees to provide x community with y busses a day etc? Far simpler!

In theory a bus company should face fines for not sticking to timetabled times. The reality seems to be they don't. Certainly in the case of Stagecoach West, who have apparently been warned but not fined. This despite buses regularly running late - by as much as half an hour. I try not to use the local bus on a Friday because it notoriously runs so late. Starts off the day ok but by the afternoon timetabling goes out the window.
And one of the local routes, not in the town I live in, regularly has services cancelled with no prior warning - due to shortage of drivers or vehicles. They always prioritise the express service into Glasgow. It rarely gets affected.
So whatever control the government currently has over service provision it doesn't seem to be working to benefit bus users.

So fix this. Get the fines out. Dont make things vastly more complicated for no reason whatsoever.

I can't fix it @Minniena !
I do my bit by regularly complaining to the bus company about issues. I usually get an apology a couple of weeks later and nothing changes. I know other people have raised bus issues with the community council or similar. Unfortunately a lot of bus users spend their time moaning and complaining to each other about the poor service, on a daily basis, but they dont actually raise their complaints to the company
.
I mean the companies prioritising profits over providing a service has been inbuilt into the system ever since the deregulation of the buses. If it was as simple as " just fix it" presumably it would have been fixed by now.
That's why I welcome the noises coming out of the government about buses now. I hope it brings improvement but tbh i'm not totally optimistic.

Why complain to the bus company though? Surely your local politician is the way to actually get action. The bus company has no incentive to fix their poor service.

And cheap £2 bus fares all over the Highlands for foreign tourists.

Well you are probably right.
But I'm in my mid 70s now and I've got enough going on with other issues to start lobbying politicians. I know it's popular these days to portray OAPs as having nothing to do other than count their cash but for me that's not the case. Life is a struggle on all counts.And I'm weary of fighting institutions and beaurocracy and injustices.
So I'll happily take the Scottish Government trying to improve bus provision because it's been a long time coming.

To being tourists to an area to spend money? Sounds like a good plan.

Rural Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and Islands, Orkney etc all benefit from subsidised routes. These are not SNP heavy areas.

Sounds tiring OP. But I’ve had excellent service from my MP (Labour), MSP (Labour) and councillor (LD). I’m lucky that I’m in a city where there are lots of councillors/ MSPs to choose from, but when you work out who the effective ones are you can get really good progress on issues just by firing off an email. Medical appointments suddenly appear, traffic lights fixed, school issues addressed.

Worth knowing.

I've approached local councillors on various matters over the years, and generally it's been a waste of time - especially when I lived in Glasgow. Similarly MPs
One of the local Councillors where i live now is generally active and helpful and informative and I have approached him on a neighbourhood issue and he helped. But he was the exception.
I've voted in every election -- local and national - and referendum since I turned 18. And always had an interest in politics. But life experience has taught me to expect nothing from anyone , including elected representatives.
I am pleased about this announcement re the buses. So i don't understand the point in contacting politicians when change is in the offing anyway.

Something had to be done. Stagecoach tendered for a popular route here. Won it from a rival who had ran it successfully for 2 years and then cancelled the most popular part.