M Ray: Scottish Government not giving proper support to bus industry

By The Newsroom
Published 20th Jun 2017, 13:20 BST
PICTURED IS ETHEL BROWN, PENSIONER, ON A BUS OUTSIDE DYNAMIC EARTH AS PART OF A PHOTOCALL WITH NICOL STEPHEN ,TRANSPORT MINISTER AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONCESSIONARY TRAVEL FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED.PICTURED IS ETHEL BROWN, PENSIONER, ON A BUS OUTSIDE DYNAMIC EARTH AS PART OF A PHOTOCALL WITH NICOL STEPHEN ,TRANSPORT MINISTER AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONCESSIONARY TRAVEL FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED.
PICTURED IS ETHEL BROWN, PENSIONER, ON A BUS OUTSIDE DYNAMIC EARTH AS PART OF A PHOTOCALL WITH NICOL STEPHEN ,TRANSPORT MINISTER AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF CONCESSIONARY TRAVEL FOR THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED.
Ask the Scottish Government their strategy to reverse the ongoing decline of local bus service provision and they point to the £53.5 million Bus Service Operators' Grant scheme, which equates to roughly 14p per kilometre fuel rebate on registered journeys. In addition, the National Entitlement Card government subsidy is £202m per annum.

However, the unintended consequences of this spending are arguably more important than the intended benefits. Nobody should be surprised at a government decision to deliver free bus travel for all over 60s, but to reimburse operators at only 56.9 per cent of the fare leads to operators cutting services across the country. This is due to the resultant on-bus revenue failing to meet the required operating costs. Through this policy, the government has been responsible for removing copious bus services across the country and contributing to the current crisis in the industry.

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has long highlighted the Government’s own research showing the current model of investment needs to be changed to reverse the ongoing decline of this essential industry. Different investment is needed to help build a future bus industry that can form a critical part of an integrated transport system. Smart tickets, wifi and real-time information on all services need not be expensive, but could make buses fit for the 21st 
century.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is not advocated here to remove a transport concessionary scheme altogether but rather to accept the recommendations for reform of the scheme that have been repeatedly made in reports by transport professionals to successive governments. Government seems to have been spatially blind when talking about a universal policy, when in practice the concessionary travel scheme has been highly targeted at those with the best accessibility.

By making benefits available to those with the greatest needs, the scheme would not just become more equitable, but also more sustainable and affordable.