I WELCOME the proposals in a new Transport Bill, discussed by Kenny MacAskill (“Finally on the right road with bus plan”, The Herald, March 8), particularly the options to regulate/nationalise bus services where necessary, and to leave well alone where the service is already working well for the benefit of both the passengers and the environment.
But I must comment on one of the major reasons why passenger numbers are declining and fares are going up. A major problem is the way the concession fares scheme is administered in Scotland. For too long, the Scottish Government has been trying to have its cake and eat it, with a generous free travel scheme, but with inadequate funding. The result is now that bus operators only get 57p in the pound when they carry a concession card holder, as opposed to an adult fare payer. This has led to fare rises to try to keep revenue stable, thus discouraging full-fare paying passengers and losing revenue. It's hardly credible that the Government can throw £189m at the industry and yet it finishes worse off.
What needs to happen is either reform to the scheme to decrease its scope, or a vast increase in funding. What should also happen in the short term, is to de-couple the rate of reimbursement from the fares charged to full- fare passengers. This would then return proper commercial freedom to the operators, without the interference of the concession scheme, which could be reimbursed on a fixed sum plus mileage rate.
I would also like to see included in the Transport Bill the ability to co-operate with other modes of transport, rather than have to compete, to provide the long-sought-after integration common in other parts of Europe. Finally, I would support the move to continental-style fare collection for city buses, all off-vehicle, with random checks for fare dodging by plain clothes inspectors. This could speed up the services enormously, and need fewer vehicles to provide the same frequencies.
Arthur Homan-Elsy,
55 Deanburn Road, Linlithgow.
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