A Glasgow MSP has urged the Scottish Government to pay out millions to speed up plans to bring the city’s buses into public ownership.
Speaking in Holyrood, Paul Sweeney said that Glasweigans are paying “unfair” prices when compared to other large UK cities, like Edinburgh and London.
He said: "Glaswegians are paying the highest bus fares of any UK city. £6.30 for a day ticket, £3.25 for a single bus. Franchising desperately needs to be sped up so we can get it implemented in Greater Glasgow.”
Asking the government to release funds which would aid bus franchising plans, he added: “Will the minister commit to providing the full £4m allocation to Strathclyde Passenger Transport, because that is the only RPT currently pursuing franchising.”
In response, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie said: “I’m quite sure that there are other bodies who will say that £4m shouldn’t all go to SPT. That’s still under discussion.”
In September 2025, campaigners welcomed plans brought forward by SPT which would bring buses into public control using bus franchising powers provided via the Transport Act 2019.
However, they warned that Scottish Government policy was preventing rapid change, criticising “complex and time-consuming bus franchising legislation”.
Nearly 13,000 people have signed a petition urging a return to public ownership for Glasgow’s bus system, which is currently dominated by firms such as First Bus, McGill’s, and Stagecoach.
A franchising system would allow SPT to set the routes, frequency, and fares of services, and then invite firms to bid on operating the system.
In September, Sandy Easdale, who owns McGill’s with his brother James, criticised the decision.
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He said: “The Scottish public will be delighted to hear that yet another quango will be created to run the buses and with a horrendous budget of £400m a year.
“This is utter insanity.”
However, campaigners with Better Buses for Strathclyde have argued that rising bus fares have contributed to an ongoing cost of living crisis.
They said: “This has left many people across our region locked out of jobs and opportunities, unable to visit friends or family, or forced to buy cars.
“We’ve seen a vicious circle of decline ever since our buses were deregulated in 1986."
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