BOSSES at McGill's have warned that franchising bus services could cost taxpayers almost £500m a year.

The Greenock firm's owners Sandy and James Easdale claim Strathclyde Partnership for Transport are 'grossly misleading' the public and parliament over the controversial plans.

Last month, SPT announced that work on franchising could start by using newly-activated powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

McGill’s and other private bus companies have been given six weeks to respond to SPT’s consultation. 

SPT has stated that the cost of putting bus routes out to franchising would be £45-£80m per year. But McGill’s chief executive Ralph Roberts insists his research shows it could cost the taxpayer more than £400m to put plans in place. 

Mr Roberts said: "The more you dig into SPT’s franchising wish list, the more you see the iceberg below what they are revealing.

"When you realise that the franchising wish list beyond the additional buses is going to cost significantly more money, you must then adjust the cost base of the entire operation.

"The SPT wish list beyond more services includes things like a more efficient network, better punctuality and reliability, increased affordability, sustainability and environmental improvements, buses available when people want them and where people want them, a common network identity, integrated ticketing, fares capping region-wide, improved safety and security, better public acceptability and a common customer charter."

“For example, increasing the efficiency of the network involves spending on infrastructure to the tune of £1.5billion over the whole of Strathclyde.

“To increase the affordability of the network – i.e. reduce fares – it costs more again and on it goes. The fares reduction alone would be in the order of £150m to £200m in cost per annum.

“Painting buses to all be the same colour would be an £8 million cost for example.

“Totting up all of the qualitative costs on top of the network expansion, plus the amortisation of the huge one-off costs, means that a £400m additional cost per annum is actually a conservative estimate."

McGill's owner Sandy Easdale says that SPT's vision of a world-class bus network will not work unless there is huge investment in roads and infrastructure.

He said: "Fixing congestion is a major part of the equation. Have you looked at our streets? You can’t move for congestion a lot of the time. It’s a daily nightmare for bus drivers and their passengers.

"Who in SPT has actually been responsible at a senior level for operating buses? I’m not even sure whether SPT understands what they are trying to achieve here.

“We now have the figures to show that this plan would cost the taxpayer £400m a year as opposed to the £85m that SPT is claiming. This is another ferry debacle in the making but is many times bigger.”

His brother James added: “What I don’t understand is that the First Minister Humza Yousaf has already said that he won’t pay the bill for this so it will fall on the local councils who make up SPT. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought these councils have all but run out of cash?”

 

An SPT spokesperson said: “The Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy (SRBS) case for change unequivocally highlighted a need for reform to stem the sustained decline in the bus market.

“A public consultation on SPT’s recommended bus reform options, including franchising, as set out in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, is currently open. 

"SPT encourages everyone with an interest in the future of bus to participate in this important consultation.

"The deadline for responding is midnight on May 31, you can access the consultation via the SPT website at www.spt.co.uk."