1 Do you support the general aim of the proposed Bill?

The Glasgow Labour Group is strongly supportive of the general aims of the bill. This
Group was elected on a manifesto pledge to vigorously campaign for the regulation
of bus services and stands firm behind this commitment. A properly regulated bus
service would improve existing bus routes, guarantee reliable and efficient services
for isolated communities and play a firm role in encouraging job creation,
redevelopment and regeneration.

2 What would be the main practical advantages of the legislation proposed?

What would be the disadvantages?

Currently, there is no legal obligation on the part of bus companies to consult with
communities before changes to bus services are made. As a result, service users are
removed from the processes undertaken to evaluate and alter services.
Consequently, the people most reliant on services are cut out from the decisionmaking process, denying them the opportunity to illustrate their concerns and wishes.

In recent months, the Labour group has dealt with numerous concerns of
constituents across the city over proposed changes to bus services. Legally obliging
bus companies to consult with communities would go some way towards limiting the
consternation and uncertainty that poor communication and lack of dialogue with the
community creates.

3 In what ways do you envisage reregulation being used to improve bus

services?

Stability. Where services are deemed to be socially necessary, they will be provided
on the basis of this need, rather than commercial viability. Regulation would ensure
that more isolated - and therefore less popular - routes would be reliant not on the
potential to deliver profits for the operator, but on their social impact. Regulation
protects quieter services and therefore communities from the notoriously harsh and
volatile market.

Control of fares. Rather than fares being set by companies, regulation would allow
legal parameters to be enshrined in law to ensure that fares do not deviate too far
from a pre-determined base level. Furthermore, future fare increases could be
controlled to ensure that they can only increase in line with pre-determined levels,
thus combating the phenomenon of inflation-busting fare increases at a time when
the value of wages is stagnating.

Greater reliability. Currently, operators can alter services when they see fit. Largely,
this is determined by what timetable stands to deliver the most lucrative financial
dividend. By removing the unblinkered pursuit of profit from the operation of services,
the principal focus will be on the delivery of services which follow a dependable and
appropriate timetable.

Accountability. By regulating the provision of bus services, operators are

immediately subject to greater public accountability, through either the regional
transport provider or local authority. Currently, principal accountability is to
shareholders and a Board of Directors; thus there is a dearth of representation
between service user and provider. Regulation would give voice to the wider public
and enable its concerns to shape the future direction of bus travel.

4 How can community transport be better utilised to serve local communities

and particularly low passenger volume routes?
The Labour Group strongly believes that Community Transport has a crucial role to
play in ensuring that all of our citizens are covered by an appropriate level of access
to public transport. It is essential that steps are taken to ensure that community
transport can be responsive to demand. Currently, there are obstacles preventing
effective utilisation of public transport, particularly in response to pockets of
communities where the market has failed to provide a service. The difficulty of
proving market failure and the delay in waiting for private operators to declare that
they are not interested in a route, hinders the ability of community transport to
provide much-needed services; this is unacceptable. Regulation would bolster
existing community transport powers and allow timeous intervention to provide
services where required.

Currently, a plethora of legislation exists which effectively prevents local authority

fleets from being used in the provision of community bus services. Currently, some
Council vehicles are redundant for up to 75% of the time, demonstrating huge
inefficiency. These vehicles would better serve the public and tax payer by providing
community transport services. Therefore, legislation should be amended to allow the
use of local authority fleets for community transport.

5 Do you agree that the Traffic Commissioner should be able to impose

greater financial penalties on operators who a) fail to meet the terms of the
franchise or b) walk away from the franchise altogether?
The Labour Group agrees that there should be greater scope to penalise operators
which have failed to uphold their franchise obligations. There is also scope for this
power to be devolved from the Traffic Commissioner and passed to local authorities.

6 What is your assessment of the likely financial implications of the proposed

Bill to you or your organisation?: What other significant financial implications
are likely to arise?
In the short term, there is likely to be significant cost to regulating bus services.
However, meeting such a cost would not be unattainable given the existing
infrastructure, existence of regional transport providers and local authorities
committed to improving public transport. If legislation on bus regulation is handled
properly, local authorities will be well-equipped to meet the initial financial
ramifications of regulation and will steadily develop bus services to viable, publiclyrun operations.

7 Is the proposed Bill likely to have any substantial positive or negative

implications for equality? If it is likely to have a substantial negative
implication, how might this be maintained or avoided?
Yes it will have an overwhelmingly positive impact. Those denied bus services as a
result of cuts to services are the people who stand to lose the most from their
removal. When services are cut for commercial reasons it is inevitably those most
reliant on them who are affected the most. Therefore, guaranteeing services through
regulation immediately addresses equality issues by providing connectivity between
more deprived areas and the wider jobs and learning market.

One particular way this could be achieved is through bundling, which would ensure
that operators cannot cherry pick the most lucrative bus routes. Regulation would
allow the legal establishment of an obligation for more lucrative routes to only be
available if a commitment is made to run less profitable route at the same time.

8 Do you have any other comment or suggestion that is relevant to the need
for or detail of this Bill?

Yes. The creation of various transport acts over the years indicates that there is no
universal solution to the complications of public transport provision. However, there
are examples of strong, regulated systems delivering excellent standards of service
to communities. Transport for London is a key example of a simple, integrated market
achieving year on year growth and delivering a high standard of service to
communities across a wide area; routes are protected, there are strict benchmarks
for the age, overall safety and condition of vehicles, targets have been introduced on
sustainability and goals are set with regard to innovative types of environmentallyfriendly vehicles being used to deliver services. This type of model sets a high
quality, desirable and attainable benchmark for the regulation of bus services in
Scotland.