RELBUS gives support to Bus Bill

RELBUS, a group campaigning for better bus services in rural East Lothian, has made a submission supporting in principle the provisions of MSP Iain Gray’s proposed parliamentary Bill on bus regulation.  Consultation on the Bill ended on 11th October.  It proposes to provide local authorities with greater powers to set service levels for local bus services, including a power to group profitable routes with non-profitable ones before they are put out to tender with operators. The premise of Iain Gray’s proposal is that current arrangements for the provision of bus services are letting down some communities and that the unregulated market has failed to protect those who depend on local services.  RELBUS agrees having witnessed last year the wholesale withdrawal of commercial and supported services by First in East Lothian and Midlothian. It does not see the status quo bringing forward the kind of change in provision that it considers necessary based upon what local people are saying.

Barry Turner, Chair of RELBUS and former East Lothian Council Transport spokesperson, said:

‘We have assessed Iain Gray’s proposed Bill against our own priorities for improving bus services.  These are integration and co-ordination of services and ticketing, more public involvement in their planning, greater innovation to meet a range of needs, particularly in rural areas, and better information about what is available.  It seems to us that the arrangements proposed in the Bill could bring about positive change  on all of these and help alleviate transport poverty with its economic and social implications. With operators still driven by commercial considerations and local councils strapped for cash the time is surely right to look at new ways of giving the public the better services that they deserve.   That said, we have identified a number of issues that would have to be addressed to make the proposals effective. We have also concluded that the new arrangements should be discretionary for there are places where public transport provision is working well. The onus is now on the author to consider changes to the Bill following the consultation and we await the outcome’.

The proposed Bill will be subject to the parliamentary procedures that apply to Members’ Bills.  It will need cross-party support to proceed.  We at RELBUS appreciate that there will be opposition to the Bill from operators and some others, but whether successful or not it could be a catalyst for change simply by airing current problems and possible solutions.  We look forward to the debate’.