Rip-off Buses
Glasgow is being held to ransom by private bus companies. 45% of their income comes from public subsidies, yet they continue to cut vital services and hike up fares. While profits go to shareholders, the average age of a bus in Glasgow is over 10 years, belching out poisonous diesel fumes onto the most polluted streets in Scotland.
Did you Know?
In Edinburgh, publicly-owned Lothian Buses provide a comprehensive service and affordable fares. The average age of a bus there is under 4 years.
Poor Governance
Glasgow has the largest suburban rail network outside London. With proper governance and full integration with other public transport, this is the perfect base for our world-class network.
However, our inefficient privatised system sees rail, bus and bike companies compete on congested routes rather than working together to serve the whole city.
• Our train services are currently operated by Abellio, owned by the Dutch state, not ours.
• Our biggest bike hire is run by a German company (Nextbike GmbH), which fails to integrate with Abellio’s rival bikes.
Did you Know?
Publicly-owned Transport for London puts people first and has power over the capital’s entire transport network. They have had ‘Oystercard’ smartcard tickets in use since 2003 making it simple to change between buses, tubes, trains, trams and bikes. Because they are set up to ‘reinvest all income to run and improve services’, they also have ambitious plans for expansion over the coming decades, with two new Crossrail lines.
Missed Opportunities
Glasgow Subway (built 1896), is the only part of our network still publicly-owned by SPT. Because it remains the only underground in the whole world never to have been extended, only a tiny area of our city gets the benefit.
Did you Know?
In 2007, SPT made an ‘unequivocal promise to deliver the East End Subway extension for 2014’, which would have seen stations at Celtic Park, Gorbals, Duke St. & more. Glasgow’s Crossrail, also promised in 2007, would be the ‘missing link’ between Scotland’s north-south rail routes and bring new stations to Glasgow X & Gorbals, connecting with the Subway at West St. Every £1 invested in expansion would return £2.20 to Glasgow’s economy. Glasgow is also sitting on a goldmine of disused railway lines, which when re-opened would serve Maryhill, Possil and many other parts of the city.