Meeting of the Parliament 12 March 2026 [Draft]
I appreciate the point that Karen Adam makes. I, too, am from a rural constituency, and I genuinely appreciate the vital role that local bus services play in rural communities and the importance of reliable services for commuters in Banffshire, Buchan and all the rural communities in Scotland.
The traffic commissioner for Scotland is responsible for enforcing service reliability in line with the operator’s registration. Through legislation, we have given local transport authorities powers to take action to improve the services in their area, whether through partnership working, franchising or running their own services. We want all local transport authorities, including rural and coastal authorities, to explore the powers that are available to them and make the necessary improvements that they see fit.