Call for action to promote bus travel in Dundee

At Monday's City Development Committee I put forward a motion about the provision of bus services in Dundee

Firstly, I thanked all those people who work in the bus industry in our city who have kept the buses running over the last few months.

 

They have performed a very important public service at a time when it was needed.  We have clapped for key workers and we should say thanks.  That thanks should include making sure that they are properly rewarded for their efforts.  We should be concerned about reports of some bus workers losing their jobs in the city.

We need to recognise that buses are the main mode of public transport in this city.  If we are going to promote modal shift and promote the economy of the city we need to use policy around buses to make that happen.  Around half of the population of Dundee do not have access to a private car - buses are important in Dundee.

I have often raised my concerns about air quality.  We can promote good air quality by ensuring that we have a modern bus fleet operating in this city.  At the moment that means the council working with bus operators, the Scottish Government and others to ensure that buses in Dundee are as modern as they can and as clean as they can be in terms of air quality in particular.

If we are serious about the Low Emission Zone making a real difference in the city then we need to make sure that the bus fleet in the city is contributing to improving air quality by having the buses with the lowest emissions possible.  We should be looking at Dundee playing a leading role in electric and hydrogen buses.

 

During the pandemic the public health message from both Scottish and UK Governments has rightly been only use public transport when it is essential.  Once the pandemic is over, hopefully soon, we need a concerted effort to get people back on buses and to encourage modal shift.  I am calling on the Scottish Government to lead a campaign which needs to include councils, Regional Transport Partnerships like Tactran of which I am the Chair, the UK Government, bus operators and passengers groups to promote bus use.

 

If we are serious about the climate emergency, then we need to promote bus use.  But the service needs to be there to make it easy for people to use the bus.

 

We need to look at the council’s ongoing support for the sector and look at how we can help promote buses in the city.

 

We need to examine the money being spent on subsidised bus routes and look to ensure that it is being used to provide the best service possible.  We also need to look at the potential powers given to the council by the recent Transport Act and look at how we could do things differently to promote buses in our city and make sure that there is a service which meets the needs of the people of our city.

 

Essentially I am unconvinced that allowing the market to decide which bus routes continue and which ones are cut is the way forward.  If we want to encourage modal shift we need a bus service fit for the 21^st century.  A service which is better than the one available in March last year before the impact of Covid-19 and one better than the service available to the people of Dundee today.

 

I note McGill's Buses takeover of Xplore Dundee, it will be interesting to see what they do and what they are like.  We should have no preconceived ideas about them.  But I want to see a bus service from them, from Stagecoach and other providers that is reliable, environmentally friendly and contributes to the economy of the city.

I was pleased that my motion was supported unanimously by the Committee.  I will continue to campaign for a bus service fit for the twenty-first century for our city.