The Scottish Government has laid regulations to enable local transport authorities (LTAs) in Scotland to explore the bus partnership and franchising powers that are contained in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. Those powers will come into effect on 4 December.
From that date, LTAs will have “further tools to help them to revitalise bus networks according to their own needs,” says Transport Scotland. “These will be followed by further substantive regulations that will give the powers full effect.”
Should an LTA in Scotland ultimately make a bus franchising framework, it may cover the whole or any part of the authority’s area, the Act states.
Before making a franchising framework, a process must be followed that includes an assessment, a consultation, and obtaining approval to make the proposed framework from a panel convened by the Traffic Commissioner. Two or more LTAs may act jointly to make a franchising framework.
Under partnership powers, an LTA may seek to make a Bus Service Improvement Partnership plan, again in relation to the whole or part of its area. At the same time, the LTA must also make one or more Bus Service Improvement Partnership schemes. As with franchising frameworks, two or more LTAs may act jointly to create a partnership plan and scheme/schemes.
Speaking about the laying of the regulations, Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop says that the Scottish Government is committed to improving bus services in Scotland “in conjunction with operators and local authorities… to ensure [that] everyone has accessible public transport regardless of where they live.”
Ms Hyslop adds that the Act intends to “give LTAs more flexibility to respond to their own transport challenges, empowering them to help us make Scotland’s transport network cleaner, smarter and more accessible than ever before. That is why I am pleased to have laid these regulations to give authorities access to the remaining bus powers within the Act.”
Also contained with the Act are powers for LTAs to operate municipal bus services under an O-Licence, provided that they are satisfied that the provision of such services “will contribute to the implementation of their relevant general policies,” according to Transport Scotland. The relevant section of the Act permitting that came into force on 24 June 2022.
