Perth and Kinross Council bring bus services back in house

Bus campaigners said that the decision by Perth and Kinross Council to bring some local bus services in-house is a “win for passengers”.

Councillors voted on Wednesday to move forward with creating a limited in-house transport operation that can step in where commercial provision is no longer available. 

The report before the council was the culmination of a three-year long Public Transport Transformation Project and recommended a “blended transport model” incorporating private sector, public ownership and community buses projects. 

Operators have cut bus services in the region by 26% in the last year alone and Perth and Kinross Council spend £3.1m annually subsidising private operators to run lifeline bus routes that are not considered to be commercially attractive to private bus operators to run alone. 

This decision could mean that in future the council will be able to directly run certain routes that might be vulnerable to private operators withdrawing. 

Emily Donnelly, Senior Transport Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland said:

“It’s great to see Perth and Kinross Council make the sensible choice and take the first step towards delivering buses in public hands. This is a win for passengers because we know that the status quo does not work while there are countless examples across the world of successful public ownership.

“Only a bus service in public hands can deliver benefits for communities, the climate, and strengthen our local authority’s capacity to deliver vital public services. We urge the council to work with local communities and campaigns now to build on this decision and deliver the bold change we need.

“We rely on public transport like buses to get to work, school, appointments and see our loved ones but 40 years of deregulation and privatisation have failed us. Private companies have shown they cannot be trusted to deliver our lifeline public services.  

“Moving forward with in-house bus operation is an exciting opportunity that can mark the start of real change that is needed so long as the council go beyond a ‘service of last resort’ model as the Highland Council has done recently.”

Tess Corcoran, Glenfarg resident and campaigner with Better Buses for Kinross said:  

“Community bus projects provide essential services to otherwise isolated and vulnerable people in Perth and Kinross. While they are wonderful, friendly services, they are not enough to fix a broken system. 

“They rely heavily on volunteer time and strong community groups to set up. In the current economy, a reliance on volunteers for the extensive knowledge, experience and skills means that low-income areas are at a significant disadvantage.  These initiatives fill enormous gaps, but cannot hold the system together or provide for everyone who needs it. We need public ownership to deliver essential public services.” 

In May 2024, Stagecoach withdrew commercial Service 23 journeys between Aberfeldy and Perth, requiring council action to maintain provision. In August this year, Stagecoach also withdrew the X56 bus route that links communities between Perth and Edinburgh citing it was no longer commercially viable. The decision was met with local backlash and campaign group Better Buses for Kinross has been formed to call for a solution that addresses the ‘root cause’ of the problem. Stagecoach reported an operating profit of £118m last year.  

Donnelly continued “Perth and Kinross council build on this progress by taking the X56 into public ownership when it’s future is back on the table in spring next year. This is an opportunity to lead the way and design a gold standard publicly owned bus service that is truly excellent if councillors are bold enough to break with Thatcher.”