PRIVATE bus companies have failed Glaswegians, the city’s Labour group deputy leader has claimed, as transport consultation reveals just 16% think bus services meet their needs.

Glasgow City Council held a ‘public conversation’ during autumn last year to gauge views on the future of transport in the city.

In total, 2899 responses were received from residents, regular visitors and stakeholder groups.

Only 16% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that bus services meet their needs, with 64% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.

In comparison, 42% agreed or strongly agreed trains meet their needs and 32% think the Subway does.

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Duncan Cameron, operations director at First Glasgow, the biggest company in the city, said many factors impacting bus use are outwith operators’ control, adding his firm have invested more than £32m in greener vehicles over the last two years.

Work is under way on a council bid to a £500m Bus Partnership Fund, launched by the Scottish Government in November last year.

The funding will be used on bus priority measures, such as pop-up lanes, to tackle congestion.

Glasgow formed a bus partnership with operators in the city, including First Bus, Stagecoach and McGill’s, and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) in November 2018.

Councillor Eva Murray, Glasgow Labour’s deputy leader, said private bus companies “have ultimately failed Glaswegians”.

“Unfortunately, if we continue pushing for a bus service improvement partnership that prioritises private bus companies – who have shown us time and time again that they will put profit over the needs of people – nothing will change,” she said.

A council officer said other options are also being considered, such as bus franchising, free public transport or municipal-owned bus services.

Public ownership of Glasgow’s bus services was explored in 2019 when First Group considered selling its UK operations. However, the company pulled those plans.

During the consultation, the main concerns around buses included they are unreliable, too expensive or don’t go where people need them to go.

One respondent said: “If I have an appointment, and the bus doesn’t turn up, then I’m late, and I can’t see my doctor, as you’re only allowed to be 5, 10 minutes late. I could get a taxi but then that’s a lot of money.”

Another person said: “If bus routes were co-ordinated and covered all city areas, I could visit family more easily.”

Ms Murray added: “Building a world-class system of public transport means one that works for all of our citizens. Glaswegians want us to be big and bold.

“We can’t wait for private companies to change their mind – we must explore different models of public ownership, pushing for socially necessary routes to be prioritised and looking at how we make our buses more accessible and affordable.”

Mr Cameron said: “The private sector is much better placed to access the finance to deliver the fleet of low or zero emission and high-quality buses that customers now demand while being able to be fully responsive and agile to the changing market as people’s travel habits change.”

He said recent research found 75% of factors impacting bus use are not within companies’ control, such as congestion and cheap parking.

First Glasgow offers mobile ticketing, contactless payments and “fares lower than the UK average”, he added.

The firm play a “key role” in the Glasgow Bus Partnership, which recently appointed former traffic commissioner Joan Aitken to lead efforts to “enact real change”.

“This includes taking on board any and all feedback from recent public transport surveys,” Mr Cameron said.

“It is practical changes on the ground for the people of Glasgow that are needed not a stale and out of regulatory debate.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said the bus partnership helps the council "work closely and effectively" with operators in the city to "improve" services.

"We are currently fully focused on bidding for a fair share of funding for the  Glasgow area from the Scottish Government’s £500m bus partnership fund.

"This fund is only available to local authorities that have an active bus partnership and with Glasgow’s already well established, we hope to be in a good place to secure funding to support a mode of transport that’s vital to the city."

He added: "Regardless of ownership, bus services face a number of issues that must be addressed.

"Any investment gained through the bus partnership fund must support measures that give buses greater priority on our roads, which in turn helps services run faster and more reliably."