First Glasgow and McGill’s Buses have agreed upon what they describe as “a new night bus network” in Scotland’s largest city that will see both operators active on Fridays and Saturdays.
It comes after controversy around night bus services in Glasgow, with First having initially signalled its intention to withdraw existing provision. McGill’s then said it was “looking at what was achievable.”
The subsequently agreed arrangement will see the independently-owned operator run five routes on an hourly basis two nights per week, while First Glasgow will undertake four separate services on the same days.
However, McGill’s says that it “intends to build upon its initial provision to extend the service beyond two nights a week in future.” It will use battery-electric buses on the N3 to Pollok, the N4 to Newton Mearns, the N6 to Clydebank, the N38 to Paisley and the N60 to Drumchapel.
First will run to Cleland, Easterhouse, Greenhills and Hillhouse. It says that the collaborative approach “preserves the majority of night bus journeys and highlights the commitment of the wider bus industry to meet the needs of the people of Glasgow.”
A statement adds that the solution “stretches First Glasgow’s driver resource as far as it possibly can.” The operator had previously said that a trebling of passenger numbers would be required to make night bus provision sustainable beyond July, and that it had absorbed losses from those services over the past year.
In making the latest announcement, First Glasgow adds that data has shown a change to travel behaviour in Glasgow since 2020. That has seen over 2,500 more people catching buses between 2230-0000hrs on Friday and Saturday nights than before.
First Bus Scotland Managing Director Duncan Cameron says that the revised night bus network for Glasgow has followed discussions with business owners and stakeholders in the city.
While the planned withdrawal of such routes was down to multiple challenges, Mr Cameron adds that the solution reached “allows us to continue to operate a night bus service in the face of the current driver shortage.” He also notes that the Glasgow Bus Partnership – of which both First and McGill’s are members – was beneficial in arriving at the position.
“Our hope is that 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.”
McGill’s Group CEO Ralph Roberts (pictured right, centre) describes its tranche of night services as an “initial” offering and says that the independent’s intention is to build on that base through work with Glasgow City Council (GCC) and businesses.
Since First Glasgow’s announcement of its intention to withdraw night services, McGill’s staff have been deployed to the city centre overnight to examine what measures on roads and streets GCC could take to help buses to deliver better services then.
McGill’s Group Chairman James Easdale (pictured above, right) has cautioned that the development “cannot be seen as a ‘job done’ moment.” He adds that civic leaders must assist in securing long-term viability of night bus services by encouraging public transport use and assisting operators to provide those better services.
