Campaign for better buses takes root in the North East

A campaign calling for buses in the Grampian region to be taken back into public control has launched across the North East, with public meetings held in Aberdeen and Peterhead over the last month, and a petition to council leaders collecting signatures.

Passengers are ‘angry and let down’ at the poor service provided by the private bus companies that currently serve the area.  Cancellations and late running buses are a common concern for people as well as safety issues, frequent breakdowns and expensive fares.

Campaigners are calling for the bus network to be taken into regional public control rather than in the interest of private companies, as they say that this would make the buses truly accountable to the communities who use them every day. 

The new campaign, called ‘Better Buses for Grampian’, is following a model which has already seen success in other parts of the UK. In 2025, a similar campaign in the Strathclyde region run by Get Glasgow Moving won a commitment from the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to create a publicly coordinated regional bus network. And in England, Manchester’s Bee Network has seen a successful integrated transport system across the city make buses, trams and trains more reliable, accessible and affordable. 

The public campaign meetings have been organised by Friends of the Earth Scotland, who opened their new office in Aberdeen yesterday (Thursday 9 April).

Michelle Marshall, North East Community Engagement Officer at Friends of the Earth Scotland said:

“A high turnout at our meeting in Peterhead showed just how angry and let down people in Buchan feel with a bus service that doesn’t serve their needs. As the only public transport covering the area, buses are a lifeline service here but constant disruption, cancellations, and poor communication from Stagecoach is having a very real and disruptive impact on people’s lives. 

“Bringing buses across the Grampian region back into public control is a really important step towards ending the chaotic state of affairs our local buses are in at the moment, with private companies like Stagecoach being allowed to consistently  put profit over their passengers.”

Scott Herrett, Just Transition Organiser at Friends of the Earth Scotland said:

“Privately owned buses in Aberdeen are failing passengers, and we can consistently see the way that Aberdeen City Council’s misguided policies have contributed to this mess. From the expensive hydrogen buses scheme which is now dead in the water, to having two companies running different services, both with extortionate fares. Residents and visitors of Aberdeen are being left confused and let down by private bus companies. 

“The future for Aberdeen and Grampian’s buses could be a bright one – high-quality, publicly owned, affordable, there when you need them, and run in the interest of workers, community and the environment. We’re excited to get this campaign underway with people across the city who are fed up with a broken bus system.”