I'm disappointed at the cancellation
of the Number 26 Bus Service by Stagecoach. I believe
that this demonstrates the need to bring in bus regulation in Scotland.
I believe that given the level of subsidy that bus companies
receive that they should provide a public service.
Unregulated competition in the bus market is not
helping the travelling public in Dundee. Companies cherry-pick profitable
services and try to undermine other services, none of this goes any way to
providing an integrated bus service which serves the needs of the people of
Dundee. There are many aspects of the bus service in Dundee which are good
but neither bus company in Dundee provides socially necessary services unless
they receive a subsidy to do so. I want the government to regulate
Scotland's bus services to better serve Scotland's passengers.
I think we
should stand up to powerful vested interests in the bus market and elsewhere
and say to them that for the level of public support they get whether through
infrastructure like bus stops - provided by the council, or subsidies provided
for some routes we expect a public service. We expect a service which
meets the needs of the people of Dundee and of Scotland.
I want to
see a People's Bus service run in the interests of people and not in the
interests of the shareholders of bus companies. I want an integrated
transport system underpinned by new regulation which would provide transport
authorities with powers to set service levels and group profitable routes with
non-profitable routes. I want local communities to have a greater say
over bus services.
The current
unregulated service is not good enough and needs to be fixed.
This is why I am pleased that the Scottish Labour Party has stated that it will bring in legislation to regulate the bus industry.
It is why as a co-operator and a Scottish Co-operative Party candidate in the Scottish election I am proud to support the People's Bus Campaign. I want to see bus services which are just that - services. We should be more interested in meeting the needs of bus users rather than the needs of shareholders. We should regulate bus services, we should prevent big businesses from cherry-picking profitable routes and encourage not-for-profit services.
This is why I am pleased that the Scottish Labour Party has stated that it will bring in legislation to regulate the bus industry.
It is why as a co-operator and a Scottish Co-operative Party candidate in the Scottish election I am proud to support the People's Bus Campaign. I want to see bus services which are just that - services. We should be more interested in meeting the needs of bus users rather than the needs of shareholders. We should regulate bus services, we should prevent big businesses from cherry-picking profitable routes and encourage not-for-profit services.
