Labour has called for the SNP government to enact bus franchising powers for local authorities as new figures show a decline in local services of more than a third since 2007.
Analysis of statistics from the Traffic Commissioners' reports shows a drop of 38% in bus services in the past 16 years, a number Labour described as "vandalism".
The figure amounts to more than 1200 bus routes, including 160 in the past year - and could increase if First Glasgow press ahead with the end of 11 night bus services in the city.
READ MORE: First Glasgow boss says bar staff could drive night buses
However, the bus industry representative body CPT Scotland said some of these will be changes brought due to new or amended services being introduced.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Bus routes in Scotland are collapsing while the SNP is standing idly by.
“For almost four years now the SNP has delayed giving Councils the power they need to take control of local services and put an end this decline.
“This failure will do lasting damage to our communities, our economy, and our planet. “It’s time to help councils bring buses back into public hands so we can run services for people instead of profits and deliver the reliable, affordable services we need.”
The First Glasgow night bus routes serve Rutherglen and Hamilton and Scottish Labour spoke out about the cuts ahead of a visit to the contested by-election seat in the community.
Powers currently exist in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to allow for bus franchising but they will lie dormant until ministers enact them.
Transport Scotland has now said legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options will be introduced before the end of this year.
Scottish Labour said it would fix the bus system by putting control of services back into the hands of the communities that depend on them.
A CPT Scotland spokesperson echoed previous comments from both McGill's and First Bus by saying congestion is the main issue in tackling slow routes and increasing passenger numbers.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon criticise night bus axe
The spokesperson said: "The bus continues to be the nation's popular type of public transport and while the network has adapted to new travel patterns post-covid, it is not correct to say all services have been lost.
"Many registration changes are due to new or amended services being introduced.
"Regardless of operating model, the only way to unlock the economic and environmental potential of the bus is to tackle congestion.
"This would shorten journey times, making taking the bus more attractive to increase passenger numbers and fare revenue.
"That's why we're calling on the government to invest in the bus sector and fund more bus priority measures that keep buses out of congestion to create faster, more reliable bus journeys."
Louise Haigh, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, said the decline of bus services in the past 15 years was "staggering".
She said the Scottish Government has the power to change this but the SNP has "dragged their feet and refused to act, even as communities have been robbed of essential services".
Ms Haigh added: "Scottish Labour would put passengers first by supporting communities to take back control over their bus services."
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of the importance of bus services and are committed, in conjunction with operators and local authorities, to improving services to ensure everyone has accessible public transport regardless of geographic location.
"There is a broad package of long-term investment in bus, including through the Network Support Grant, Community Bus Fund, and for bus priority infrastructure, together with the enhanced suite of options for local transport authorities to improve bus services according to their local needs, including formal partnerships, franchising and running their own bus services.
"The bus provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 empower local authorities with the flexible tools they need to respond to their own transport challenges.
"The Scottish Government has already delivered powers to allow authorities to run their own buses, which sits alongside their existing ability to subsidise services.
"Secondary legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options will be introduced before the end of this year, to enable local transport authorities to begin developing their preferred options for improving their local bus services."
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