28 Apr 2026

Better Buses for Strathclyde is running a campaign in the run-up to the Scottish Parliamentary elections on 7th May. The aim is to encourage candidates to accelerate the process of placing Strathclyde buses back in public control.

In September 2025, Strathclyde's transport authority – the SPT – finally approved ambitious plans to take our buses back into public control using the new bus franchising powers in the Transport Act 2019.

This will mean SPT can finally:

  • Plan bus routes and frequencies to serve our communities' needs

  • Connect buses seamlessly with Subway, trains, ferries and active travel

  • Cut fares and deliver one simple, affordable ticket across all transport modes

But…

The Scottish Government is now holding things up – they have created the most complex and time-consuming bus franchising legislation in the UK, which means we could be waiting until 2031 to see any change on our streets.

Take Action

  • Ahead of the election on 7 May 2026, please take two minutes to email your candidates and demand they help speed up the process of bus franchising in Scotland.

Email your candidate now

Sign the petition now

More information

Better Buses has prepared this handy digest of the main parties’ stance towards public control of buses.

Party Manifesto Bus Commitments

Scorecard:- 1 point for a mention of each of the following in the manifesto:

  • Bus franchising/public control.

  • Simplifying the legislation/regulations.

  • Funding to bring buses into public control.

  • Public ownership of bus companies.

  • Regional delivery of transport networks.

Conservatives

Score - (0/5)

Manifesto commitment area

Mentioned

Bus franchising/public control.

❌

Simplifying the legislation/regulations.

❌

Funding to bring buses into public control.

❌

Public ownership of bus companies.

❌

Regional delivery of transport networks.

❌

Manifesto Extracts

  • In the last parliament, the SNP decided to expand the number of people receiving a free bus pass to everyone aged 22 and under. While we support this move, it has unfortunately led to widespread abuse of this privilege, with bus-related antisocial behaviour on the rise. The Scottish Conservatives have zero tolerance for this behaviour. The SNP attempted to address this by passing regulations that would allow bus passes to be stripped from those who misbehave on buses. However, they were unable to confirm whether their rules would strip bus passes from those who had previously committed bus- related crimes. We would make it clear that we would strip free bus travel from those partaking in anti- social behaviour AND those who have committed bus-related crimes in the past.

  • Our rail network, bus system and other modes of public transport should also be working in tandem to get people around more easily. For example, by making sure that bus timetables are synchronised with train timetables. In Edinburgh and Glasgow, this can be taken a step further with the tram and subway networks respectively. We would establish a working group with local authorities and transport companies to coordinate our transport network. This working group would help improve everyone’s access to public transport, including those with disabilities. Disabled people can face additional challenges getting on public transport, so we would work with disability charities to see how these issues can be resolved.

  • Coordinate with local authorities to better integrate Scotland’s public transport systems so that people can get in and out of our towns and cities more easily.

Green Party

Score - (4/5)

Manifesto commitment area

Mentioned

Bus franchising/public control.

✅

Simplifying the legislation/regulations.

✅

Funding to bring buses into public control.

✅

Public ownership of bus companies.

✅

Regional delivery of transport networks.

❌

Manifesto Extracts

  • Expand free bus travel to everyone resident in Scotland.

  • In the transition period to free fares for all, we would:

  • Immediately expand free bus travel to all residents under 30;

  • Introduce a £2 bus fare cap across all services in the transition to free fares for all;

  • Ensure current national concessionary travel schemes apply to both Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams.

  • Bring more of Scotland’s buses back under local control, simplifying the rules for local councils, empowering communities to be better involved in route planning, and providing proper financial help. We will support this by giving the public the chance to invest in their local bus services through the issuing of Scottish Bus Bonds.

  • Increase financial support for community-designed and community-owned bus services, ensuring all of Scotland can redesign local transport services in the public interest.

  • Introduce Scotland’s first integrated ticketing system – ScotCard – setting zonal pricing with daily caps for all public transport journeys instead of disjointed, expensive multimodal journeys.

  • Support the manufacturing of Scottish-built zero-emission buses with long-term funding that is targeted to publicly-run and community fleets.

  • Create a minimum service guarantee for bus routes in rural areas to ensure no community is cut off from public transport.

  • Reduce congestion in our towns and cities through removing barriers to local councils installing bus priority lanes, investing in bus priority infrastructure, and press for the devolution of roads taxation to Scotland.

  • The Scottish Greens will champion a major expansion in municipal ownership, in areas such as green energy, housing and transport, giving local communities a direct stake in a just transition

Labour

Score - (4/5)

Manifesto commitment area

Mentioned

Bus franchising/public control.

✅

Simplifying the legislation/regulations.

✅

Funding to bring buses into public control.

✅

Public ownership of bus companies.

❌

Regional delivery of transport networks.

✅

Manifesto Extracts

  • Keeping down the cost of public transport, preventing a return to peak rail fares, maintaining free bus travel for under-22s and older people, and delivering a plan to place local bus services under public control.

  • Push power out of Holyrood and grant Scottish regions the opportunity to take control of local skills and employability schemes, transport, and housing, so they can tailor interventions to local needs and encourage cooperation between local authorities to reduce duplication and deliver economic outcomes.

  • Bring local bus services back under public control, reforming regulations to fast track franchising and supporting local authorities to purchase the infrastructure needed to deliver locally run services that boost bus routes and improve affordability.

  • Removing free bus passes from those who carry out antisocial behaviour, punishing those who abuse transport staff and revoking the right to free travel from individuals who threaten community safety.

  • Set aside £200m to support franchising of local bus services.

Liberal Democrats

Score - (1/5)

Manifesto commitment area

Mentioned

Bus franchising/public control.

✅

Simplifying the legislation/regulations.

❌

Funding to bring buses into public control.

❌

Public ownership of bus companies.

❌

Regional delivery of transport networks.

❌

Manifesto Extracts

  • Introduce a Transport for London-like model that puts communities in charge of when and where their buses go, as part of a complete revamp of ailing local bus services.

  • Initiate a nationwide tap-and-go transport system using only your phone or bank card and ensure passengers can easily switch between different types of transport at interchanges.

Reform UK

Score - (0/5)

Manifesto commitment area

Mentioned

Bus franchising/public control.

❌

Simplifying the legislation/regulations.

❌

Funding to bring buses into public control.

❌

Public ownership of bus companies.

❌

Regional delivery of transport networks.

❌

Manifesto Extracts

  • Support and invest in bus corridors in our major cities

SNP

Score - (1/5)

Manifesto commitment area

Mentioned

Bus franchising/public control.

✅

Simplifying the legislation/regulations.

❌

Funding to bring buses into public control.

❌

Public ownership of bus companies.

❌

Regional delivery of transport networks.

❌

Manifesto Extracts

  • £2 Bus Fare Cap

  • Our vision for transport is rooted in affordability, accessibility and sustainability. We have made real progress towards this with free bus travel for under 22s and over 60s. But we want to go further. That’s why by the end of the parliament we will take forward legislation to put in place a £2 bus fare cap across Scotland, building on our pilot in the Highlands, Orkney, and Shetland.

  • As part of wider public sector reforms to remove duplication of functions, Transport Scotland will be brought back into the Scottish Government, along with the other national transport bodies.

  • We will explore the best configuration of nationally publicly owned transport companies and services to support integration of services and efficiency of public investment. In addition, we will support the use of franchising to guarantee socially necessary routes in underserved areas through franchising while creating greater alignment of investment with our net-zero goals.

The lessons from England

The success of the Bee Network in Manchester shows what can be possible. Fully franchised as of January 2025, its passenger numbers have grown 14%, with punctuality up from 66% to over 80%, average fares down 15%, and the £2 cap retained (see the video for further details). Liverpool will launch its own franchise this autumn, and West and South Yorkshire will follow in 2027. The prize is significant: KPMG analysis finds that every £1 invested in buses creates economic benefits worth £4.55 to £5.

This short video from Better Buses for Strathclyde explains the benefits of a bus network in public control.

Share this page