Bus boss wants priority given to city passengers in Glasgow

A recent survey carried out by the city council found the majority of those questioned felt bus services are not meeting the needs of passengers.

But Ralph Roberts, managing director of McGill's, believes the survey does not accurately reflect the views of most people.

However he pointed out bus companies are facing serious problems because of congestion on some routes causing longer journeys.

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And he called on city roads bosses to allocate more dedicated space for buses on the main routes into the city and on city centre pinch points like Renfrew Street, Renfrew Street and Hope Street.

Mr Roberts said McGill's, which carries around 2500 passengers a month, carries out regular surveys of its customers to find out any areas of concern.

He added: "The approval rating by customers of McGill's is above 95% but there are huge issues in the industry."

The bus boss said falling fuel prices have prompted some people to ditch the bus in favour of their car resulting in more traffic on the roads.

The recession means fewer people are travelling into town by bus to shop or work and bad weather has also resulted in fewer people taking public transport.

Mr Roberts said: "In Glasgow, traffic on the M8 is now horrendous and as congestion goes up, patronage on the buses goes down."

He also highlighted the problem of utility companies which dig up roads, major building projects, parking and what he described as lack of road management.

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Mr Roberts added: "We need some curbs on cars which cannot continue to have unfettered access but Glasgow City Council is afraid to tackle the issue.

"The vast majority of people - around 70% - come into the city centre either by bus or train.

"I am not calling for Glasgow city centre to be car free - that would be cloud cuckoo land - but priority should be given to the number of passengers in a vehicle and not the number of vehicles.

"The vast majority of people going out of Glasgow in the evening are on a bus so buses should have more road space because people on the bus are making the right decision as buses are less polluting.

"They are making the sensible choice but they are being penalised for it.

"If 80% of commuters are travelling by bus they should get 80% of the road space but the city council doesn't work with bus companies because they are not compelled to do so.

"Trying to get to get the city council to do anything for bus users is impossible.

"I would love bus passengers to have a much stronger voice in Glasgow but for some reason they don't.

"If buses could travel into Glasgow quickly and cars couldn't then more people would use the bus. The present situation is simply not working."

Elaine McDougall, the council’s transport spokeswoman, said: “The council is committed to introducing measures that will make the use of sustainable transport options - including travel by bus - more attractive.

“Our City Centre Transport Strategy recognises Renfield Street / Union Street corridor as being a key bus route through the city centre and a scheme is currently being progressed to introduce traffic management measures which will reduce congestion and improve the flow of buses on this busy city centre street.”

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“We recognise that any works within the road can cause delays and officers liaise closely with utility companies to make sure major works are planned and co-ordinated to minimise congestion to all road users, but with a particular focus on public transport.

"We also work closely with SPT to ensure that bus companies are included in the communication plan to allow suitable alterations to routes and timetables.”