We can’t wait for better buses
By Morag Wells and Ric Lander
Are you feeling fed up with having to wait too long for an unreliable bus service? And forking out for fares which cost too much and seem to rise every single year?
You’re not alone.
Across Scotland, communities are struggling with bus services that are too infrequent, don’t go where passengers need them to and feel unsafe or inaccessible.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. The bus network should work for the people who rely on it – buses are a lifeline, not a luxury. Scotland’s bus network has been failing passengers for decades – we have a fragmented system where some places, like the publicly owned network in Edinburgh, frequently win awards for the quality of their service, while other networks like in Aberdeenshire are wildly overpriced and unreliable.
Who benefits from this disjointed chaos? That would be the private bus companies. Raking in millions every year, these private companies oversee declining and weakening bus services and yet lock in their profits while increasing fares for their passengers.
This year at Friends of the Earth Scotland we are ramping up Scotland’s push for better buses, putting pressure on politicians ahead of May’s election and making the case for public control and ownership so that buses serve the needs of our communities.
Why is this important for the climate?
As emissions from other sectors have fallen, transport has remained Scotland’s largest source of climate pollution for over a decade. Politicians are talking up the potential for a bigger uptake of private electric cars as a way to lower emissions, but there aren’t the raw materials (like lithium, copper, aluminium) available in the world for enough electric cars to be made for everyone. Regardless, cars are expensive to purchase and run – over half of people on the lowest incomes already have no access to a car.
This is where public transport can improve lives for the better – it can fight poverty, improve congestion in our towns and cities and is a more efficient way to use the scarce natural resources that our planet provides. But so far it’s receiving relatively little interest from local authorities or the Scottish Government.
Why focus on buses?
Although getting a better all round public transport system is important, there are some important reasons why we think that focusing on buses is the way forward.
Firstly, buses can reach areas all over Scotland where other transport options like trains can’t. This means they have a singular potential to connect our communities and make a big positive difference for a lot of people.
Despite this status as a lifeline service for so many, a lack of support and attention for Scotland’s bus network has resulted in an unequal picture across Scotland, with some areas providing a decent service and others spiralling into decay. Scotland’s bus network has been left in an alarming decline by the private bus companies, local authorities and politicians who haven’t had bus passengers’ best interests at heart for decades.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom – we have been inspired by the growing regional ‘better buses’ campaigns across the country which have been making amazing progress in their areas. The trailblazing Better Buses for Strathclyde campaign have successfully won a commitment from the local transport authority to take their bus network back into public control, using bus franchising powers. This is an amazing achievement, and one that can be built on and emulated across Scotland.
Fighting for transformative solutions
As the cost of living continues to rise and divisive voices try to shift the blame onto already marginalised people, there has been a very real backlash against climate policies.
Over many years of campaigning, we have had big successes pushing for an end to new oil and gas, but if we are to combat this backlash we need to build up practical solutions, and give hope that a better future can be won. That is also why we need to start speaking up a lot more for buses – as climate policies that offer a plausible and positive future have the potential to truly offer transformative change for the better.
Across the UK and in Scotland the fight for public control over our buses is taking shape and it’s exciting to see Friends of the Earth Scotland members and supporters taking their place at the heart of the campaign. If you’d like to get involved, come along to our upcoming online National Meeting on Wednesday the 25th of February, or if you’re based in Aberdeen there will be a meeting to kickstart a regional campaign for better buses on Saturday the 28th of February.