Glasgow's two main bus operators have joined forces to save the majority of the city's night time services after a shock announcement that all routes would be scrapped.
Some nine of the 11 under threat services will now be operated by First Bus and McGill's Group with McGill's saying it plans to expand the number of days the buses run.
First Glasgow said it would operate four night bus routes between 12.45am and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights while McGill’s Group will take on a further five routes.
However, the co-owner of McGill's, the UK’s largest independent bus operator issued a warning to the local authority that more must be done to support bus companies.
READ MORE: Glasgow's night bus axe is an embarrassment for the city
James Easdale, chairman of McGill’s Group, said: "From speaking to passengers and business owners, there is substantial concern regarding Glasgow city centre and its ability to attract people and investment in order that it can prosper for the next decade and beyond.
"McGill’s has listened and stepped up with these new services that we would hope to add to in future.
"However, for the Glasgow nighttime economy to prosper, this cannot be seen as a ‘job done’ moment.
"Civic leaders need to ensure they are providing a long-term a strategy that encourages public transport use and makes it easier for operators such as ourselves to deliver better services for passengers."
Talks were held last week between the two bus operators, SPT and Glasgow City Council to look at a solution to the issue following the announcement by First Glasgow last month that it was planning to scrap the routes.
The new collaboration preserves most but not all of the existing routes, which First said it was axing due to falling passenger numbers and chronic driver shortages.
First said the new approach "stretches First Glasgow’s driver resource as far as it possibly can" to provide services into the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning.
First Bus’ data shows a post-pandemic shift in behaviour in Glasgow, with more than 2500 more people catching the bus between 10.30pm and midnight on Friday and Saturday nights than before.
Duncan Cameron, Managing Director for First Bus Scotland, said: “Following discussions with business owners and key stakeholders in the city, we are pleased to announce a new collaborative solution alongside McGill’s Group to continue offering a comprehensive night bus network in Glasgow.
READ MORE: Pub staff could drive the night buses, says First Glasgow boss
"When we first announced the withdrawal of our night bus services, we highlighted the challenges we faced as a business.
"This solution allows us to continue to operate a night bus service in the face of the current driver shortage.
"It also highlights the importance of the Glasgow Bus Partnership in being agile and the benefits of operators working together to overcome challenges, providing the services needed by the people of Glasgow.
"Our hope is we will now see action from stakeholders, politicians and other transport modes to support local businesses and provide a way forward for the city’s night-time economy.”
The announcement also follows the recent announcement of enhancements on services 2 and 3 from August 20, which will increase services for more than 600,000 people per month in the city as First Glasgow continues to utilise data to allocate resource to meet demand.
McGill’s Buses, owned by Scottish billionaire brothers Sandy and James Easdale, will initially operate an hourly service between 12.15am and 3.45am on Fridays and Saturdays across five routes:
• N3> City Centre – Shawlands – Thornliebank - Nitshill - Pollok
• N4 > City Centre – Shawlands – Eastwood – Newton Mearns
• N6 > City Centre – Anniesland – Scotstoun - Clydebank
• N38> City Centre – Ibrox - Paisley • N60> City Centre – Maryhill – Drumchapel
McGill’s added that it intends to build upon its initial provision to extend the service beyond two nights a week in future.
READ MORE: McGill's boss mulls plan to run Glasgow's night buses
Ralph Roberts, CEO of McGill’s Group, said: "Buses are vital to the success of Glasgow and we’ve been striving to find a solution that serves the nighttime economy, residents and visitors.
"We’re delighted to be announcing an initial five nighttime bus routes that will be run by McGill’s serving the city.
"McGill’s Group has been in discussions with Glasgow businesses to understand the issues they have been facing with transport and we have also deployed our management and staff overnight to the city centre to examine what measures Glasgow City Council could take on roads and streets to help buses deliver a better service for passengers.
"Our intention is to build our nighttime services in future and work with the council and businesses to help achieve that.
"There will be a range of ticket options available on nighttime services, including discounts for regular users and McGill’s ticket holders, and we will announce more details on that shortly."
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