Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2011
17 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Bus Services Regulation
I certainly will, but we need to consider transport in the round to see how important buses are.
The number of trains from Coatbridge to Edinburgh on the new line has just increased to two an hour. As the frequency increases, passenger numbers will increase. My constituency lacks buses, but the public transport of the trains provides access to a new job market.
The railway has opened up Coatbridge and its surrounding areas to a new population of potential visitors. I encourage people to come to Coatbridge, because we have fantastic attractions such as the Time Capsule, the Summerlee museum and Drumpellier country park. Those attractions are now more accessible by rail.
As I said, it is difficult to reach my constituency by bus. It is also difficult to go from my constituency to Edinburgh by bus, so the new rail line helps my constituents to access sporting events at Murrayfield and concerts, for example.
As today is St Patrick’s day, it would be remiss of me not to mention that the St Patrick’s day festival will culminate in Coatbridge this weekend. It is easy enough for people to come to that festival by rail, but—unfortunately—coming to the family fun day will be far more difficult for people from the wider Lanarkshire area and for my constituents who live in areas that do not benefit from rail links and who suffer from poor bus provision.
In this parliamentary session, I have been inundated by constituents who have contacted me about bus provision across my constituency. In the past year, I have campaigned for the reregulation of bus services. My campaign petition has received almost 2,000 signatures from people in every part of my community who call for buses to be regulated. My constituents—many of whom are pensioners—tell me that, often, buses are infrequent and inconsistent, and they are non-existent at some times. The main population centres are not easily accessible by public transport. I have been advised that many services have been cancelled or altered at short notice, which has caused terrible problems for commuters. Those problems are the direct consequence of the lack of regulation. A public service is being left to the whims of the market, which means that profits come before the service.
The minister knows that I have written to him about the problems that have arisen in Moodiesburn following the sudden opening of the new bypass, which seems to have been done without consideration for its impact on bus passengers. I have a mailbox full of complaints from concerned constituents who, following the opening of the bypass, have turned up at their normal bus stops at their usual times only to find that their buses and many others no longer travel via Moodiesburn. Many FirstBus services that used to pass through there no longer do so. People who used to rely on the X4, X5 and X80 services along Cumbernauld Road can no longer board those buses. That is extremely infuriating for people who must travel at rush hours, because the buses that are running are crammed.
The Scottish Government did not consult my constituents before opening the bypass. My constituents were given no warning that their buses would no longer run and that they would be left stranded and cut off from work, hospitals and shops. Will the minister tell us, in summing up, how he intends to resolve that problem, which he caused?
The services in Moodiesburn highlight the wider issue of bus services in Scotland. Given the lack of regulation, bus timetables and bus routes are often changed at short notice, which leaves passengers to suffer. It is outrageous that Charlie Gordon’s proposed bill was not supported. I am pleased that Scottish Labour is committed to reregulating bus services, because people in my constituency want a better deal from their buses. They tell me in their thousands that the situation is not good enough.
People know that the SNP is on the side of the big bus companies, that Brian Souter is supporting the SNP financially and that the SNP’s commitment to reregulate buses disappeared from its manifesto. Only the Labour Party is prepared to stand up for ordinary people and to ensure that bus passengers get the service that they deserve. Scotland needs a Government that will do that—a Government that stands up for ordinary working-class people.
The strength of feeling in my community is clear. People are demanding better buses. They will get them with a Labour Government.
10:10
The number of trains from Coatbridge to Edinburgh on the new line has just increased to two an hour. As the frequency increases, passenger numbers will increase. My constituency lacks buses, but the public transport of the trains provides access to a new job market.
The railway has opened up Coatbridge and its surrounding areas to a new population of potential visitors. I encourage people to come to Coatbridge, because we have fantastic attractions such as the Time Capsule, the Summerlee museum and Drumpellier country park. Those attractions are now more accessible by rail.
As I said, it is difficult to reach my constituency by bus. It is also difficult to go from my constituency to Edinburgh by bus, so the new rail line helps my constituents to access sporting events at Murrayfield and concerts, for example.
As today is St Patrick’s day, it would be remiss of me not to mention that the St Patrick’s day festival will culminate in Coatbridge this weekend. It is easy enough for people to come to that festival by rail, but—unfortunately—coming to the family fun day will be far more difficult for people from the wider Lanarkshire area and for my constituents who live in areas that do not benefit from rail links and who suffer from poor bus provision.
In this parliamentary session, I have been inundated by constituents who have contacted me about bus provision across my constituency. In the past year, I have campaigned for the reregulation of bus services. My campaign petition has received almost 2,000 signatures from people in every part of my community who call for buses to be regulated. My constituents—many of whom are pensioners—tell me that, often, buses are infrequent and inconsistent, and they are non-existent at some times. The main population centres are not easily accessible by public transport. I have been advised that many services have been cancelled or altered at short notice, which has caused terrible problems for commuters. Those problems are the direct consequence of the lack of regulation. A public service is being left to the whims of the market, which means that profits come before the service.
The minister knows that I have written to him about the problems that have arisen in Moodiesburn following the sudden opening of the new bypass, which seems to have been done without consideration for its impact on bus passengers. I have a mailbox full of complaints from concerned constituents who, following the opening of the bypass, have turned up at their normal bus stops at their usual times only to find that their buses and many others no longer travel via Moodiesburn. Many FirstBus services that used to pass through there no longer do so. People who used to rely on the X4, X5 and X80 services along Cumbernauld Road can no longer board those buses. That is extremely infuriating for people who must travel at rush hours, because the buses that are running are crammed.
The Scottish Government did not consult my constituents before opening the bypass. My constituents were given no warning that their buses would no longer run and that they would be left stranded and cut off from work, hospitals and shops. Will the minister tell us, in summing up, how he intends to resolve that problem, which he caused?
The services in Moodiesburn highlight the wider issue of bus services in Scotland. Given the lack of regulation, bus timetables and bus routes are often changed at short notice, which leaves passengers to suffer. It is outrageous that Charlie Gordon’s proposed bill was not supported. I am pleased that Scottish Labour is committed to reregulating bus services, because people in my constituency want a better deal from their buses. They tell me in their thousands that the situation is not good enough.
People know that the SNP is on the side of the big bus companies, that Brian Souter is supporting the SNP financially and that the SNP’s commitment to reregulate buses disappeared from its manifesto. Only the Labour Party is prepared to stand up for ordinary people and to ensure that bus passengers get the service that they deserve. Scotland needs a Government that will do that—a Government that stands up for ordinary working-class people.
The strength of feeling in my community is clear. People are demanding better buses. They will get them with a Labour Government.
10:10
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson)
NPA
Good morning. The first item of business this morning is a Labour Party debate on motion S3M-8177, in the name of Charlie Gordon, on transport.09:15
Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab)
Lab
Our previous full-scale debate on local bus services was way back on 12 June 2008. That is not to say that Labour has not campaigned relentlessly before and ...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD)
LD
I am intrigued by Charlie Gordon’s direction of travel. He complains about market failure, but he seems to be suggesting that he is looking for market monopo...
Charlie Gordon
Lab
Not for the first time, Mr Brown is wrong. If he listens for a bit longer, he will learn.The traffic commissioner continued:“Thus, Edinburgh has Lothian Bus ...
The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure (Keith Brown)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Charlie Gordon
Lab
I am sorry, but I do not have time: maybe later. I pressed Mr Swinney at that meeting by asking:“Are you now saying that the deal that was done”—that was the...
The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure (Keith Brown)
SNP
Today’s debate provides a timely opportunity to discuss the bus industry, assess its current status and consider what improvements can be made to ensure the ...
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab)
Lab
What?
Keith Brown
SNP
It is on record.Earlier this year, we agreed changes to the reimbursement rate with the Confederation of Passenger Transport that make the scheme more sustai...
Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con)
Con
I was intrigued when news filtered out that Labour was to set aside the whole of this morning’s debate—the last major debate of this parliamentary session—fo...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
Will the member give way?
Jackson Carlaw
Con
I do not think that I will, today.Scotland’s bus industry is an important private sector contributor to our gross domestic product at a time when there is ar...
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
As Jackson Carlaw said, we have been here before. It is a bit like groundhog day.Charlie Gordon has revisited a proposal that he knows has no majority suppor...
Keith Brown
SNP
Does Alison McInnes acknowledge that the bus route development scheme was not abolished, but was given to local authorities and mainstreamed into their funding?
Alison McInnes
LD
It has been disaggregated to the point at which it is of little value to anyone. It is not enough to roll out new services and it has not been used in that w...
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Jackson Carlaw for his comments, as I have seldom had so many compliments in one speech. However, for the record, I am more of a Cliff Richard girl t...
Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)
SNP
Let me declare a personal interest in the debate: I am a bus card holder. I note that the only bus card holders who are likely to participate in the debate a...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab)
Lab
The issue of transport, and in particular buses, is extremely important to people in my constituency and in similar communities throughout Scotland that rely...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Will Elaine Smith take an intervention?
Elaine Smith
Lab
No, thank you—Stewart Stevenson had the opportunity as a minister to put guards on the trains.In a transport debate, I cannot miss the opportunity to mention...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan)
SNP
Order. I hope that Elaine Smith will return to buses, which seem to me to be the subject of the motion.
Elaine Smith
Lab
I certainly will, but we need to consider transport in the round to see how important buses are.The number of trains from Coatbridge to Edinburgh on the new ...
Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
SNP
For the avoidance of doubt, the question of bus regulation was not ever in the SNP manifesto.In the debate, we are trying to look forward to find ways to ens...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD)
LD
I am grateful to Charlie Gordon for focusing on bus travel in the last party debate before the election. However, as I said in an intervention, there is a co...
Charlie Gordon
Lab
I cited the transport commissioner, who described most of the bus scene in Scotland as a monopoly and near-monopoly city and county arrangement. Does the mem...
Robert Brown
LD
No, I am trying to put the issue into context and to explain the deficiency at the heart of the member’s proposition.I will say a little more about Glasgow. ...
Keith Brown
SNP
Could Robert Brown explain how his party’s policy of doing away with concessionary travel support will help more women to use the buses?
Robert Brown
LD
Perhaps the minister should read the policy. We have certainly said that there is a need to consider whether people such as me are entitled—as Stewart Steven...
Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab)
Lab
A fortnight ago, we had a by-election in Clydebank—in the Duntocher, Faifley and Hardgate ward. The key issue in that by-election was buses, specifically the...
Christopher Harvie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
SNP
I declare that I am president of the Scottish Association for Public Transport, which has provided a memo for members setting out a useful range of pragmatic...