On Friday 30th September 2022 I joined Get Glasgow Moving at a Passenger Rally outside the office of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) in Glasgow to hand over a petition to the Chair of the Board.
The petition, now signed by nearly 5,000 people, calls on SPT to use their powers to re-regulate all bus companies. In a cost of living crisis, Glasgow buses are among the most expensive and have seen privatised First Bus hike single- fares up by another 6%. It is time to fight back, no excuses, regulate our buses!
Get Glasgow Moving have outlined what their campaign is calling for below:
"Our regional transport authority, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), has new powers to re-regulate all bus companies in the region, similar to what happens in London and Manchester. SPT could also set-up a new publicly-owned bus company for our region, like in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
We're calling on SPT to use the powers at their disposal to re-regulate bus services across Glasgow and the wider Strathclyde region so they can cut our fares to bring us in-line with other cities. This will also mean we can have one simple ticket that works across all transport modes, and caps fares to ensure passengers with connections are not penalised. This could work just like the Oyster card in London.
It's vital that SPT uses these powers to address transport poverty and reduce the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on passengers now. High bus fares and poor services are pushing passengers away from public transport. If we are serious about addressing the climate emergency then our region needs to develop a public transport network that is fit for the 21st century."
You can join me in supporting Get Glasgow Moving and the Fair Fares Now campaign by signing the petition here: Fair Fares Now! Tell SPT to cut bus fares | 38 Degrees
