GLASGOW'S bus fares are already higher than comparable cities – but a new fare increase is about to push costs even further for many riders.
The city's bus fares have been some of the highest in the UK ever since a new £2 single bus fare cap was introduced across England in 2022.
By comparison, most First Glasgow single fares are £2.95, and trips can cost as much as £6.35. Riders get a discount to £2.50 for making two trips and using contactless, but this will go up to £2.60 on August 4.
But does it have to be like this?
Why are Glasgow's bus fares so expensive?
The National spoke to Andrew Carter, the director for transport think-tank Centre for Cities, to learn why Glasgow's bus fares are the way they are.
Carter said that one of the main reasons the city's fares are so high is because private bus companies have freedom to set fares however they want.
"The cost of a journey is set by private operators, of which there are 40 or so operating in the Glasgow area.
"These operators essentially get to do whatever they want – they set the fares they want to charge, they run the services they want to run along the routes they want to run, with very little oversight from the public sector.
"This maximises their profit."
He also pointed out that Glasgow's demographics make the city particularly susceptible to operators charging whatever they want.
Glasgow's car ownership rate is one of the lowest of any local authority area in the UK, with government data from 2022 showing it had the lowest rate among major cities.
"Roughly 40% of the adult population don't own a car. So there are few alternatives – [the operators] have a captured market.
"If you can't drive your car, then what else are you going to do? You have to get on the bus, so you'll have to pay more than you'd ideally want to."
To sum up, the bus operators have the public over a barrel – nothing is stopping them from charging whatever they want.
What's different south of the Border?
Carter explained that another reason that fares are so high in the city is a lack of subsidy.
Across England bus fares are subsidised, either through financial decisions made by local powers or by direct cash transfers from the UK Government.
He pointed to London as a model for what can work, saying: "The bus fares are subsidised by the mayor of London, and he subsidised that primarily from revenues generated by the tube and other parts of the public transport system.
"That's because the mayor also runs the bus system in London, which allows him to say: 'I'm going to have a bus fare for £1.75'. He can think about the bus system alongside how he things about the tube system."
Complaints have been widespread for years about Glasgow's buses, and changes as of late have only made things worse.
The National reported last month about hikes in the cost of discount public transport cards that many described as "draconian".
And Monday's announcement by First Glasgow that fares for many journeys would increase brought particular ire – and calls for change.
One possible solution, floated by Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, was getting the public sector involved in running the buses again.
Writing on Twitter/X about the First fare hike, he said: "We need a regional bus franchise for Greater Glasgow to be set up as soon as possible. Restoring public control has overwhelming public support."
What can be done about it?
Carter agrees that getting the public sector involved in the running of Glasgow's buses again would be a smart move.
The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) ran all bus services in Glasgow and its surrounding regions up until 1986, but deregulation of bus services forced the body to hand operations to the private sector.
The organisation now runs the Subway, but has relatively little power over other modes of public transport in and around Glasgow.
Instead of taking Glasgow's bus services back into municipal ownership – something the city council explored but decided against in 2020 – he suggested a franchising model, like the ones used in London and Manchester.
"In London, the mayor gets to set the routes, the frequency, the integration of buses with [trains and the tube]. He sets all those parameters.
"He also sets the fares that are going to be charged, and then contracts all those services out to private operators to deliver the service."
In a franchising model, bus companies are given a set amount of money to operate bus services, rather than operating off of fares paid by passengers.
Carter explained that London's franchising of bus services limits the profits of bus operators, driving down fares.
Bus companies may lose some income through this model, but they also get some benefits.
For one, a lot of the risks involved in running services – including decreases in passenger flow cutting available cash – get transferred to the government.
Additionally in London's model, bus companies are able to get bonuses for maintaining good reliability and low frequency of delays.
Carter pointed to data showing that London has consistently high bus ridership, and Manchester having increased ridership since increasing the model.
He said Glasgow was in a good position to implement such a scheme, and that having a public transport body like SPT already established could make the process easier than in other UK cities.
What changes are planned?
In good news for many exasperated commuters, SPT is indeed looking to introduce a franchising model for Glasgow.
In March SPT's chairman, SNP councillor Stephen Dornan, announced plans to establish bus franchising in Strathclyde to wide cross-party agreement.
Glasgow City Council got on board in May, expressing their support after a public consultation came to a close.
Though the plans brought wide acclaim, they also brought significant discomfort to Glasgow's bus operators.
First expressed its discontent at the plans publicly, but McGill's went further, threatening SPT with a lawsuit if the plans go ahead.
McGill’s Group CEO, Ralph Roberts, told our sister paper the Glasgow Times: "Franchising is effectively confiscation of a business that has been built in good faith over many years with investors funds and it raises a host of legal implications, including issues under Article 1 of ECHR.
"It goes against every sense of natural justice and we would take this to every court in the land and beyond.
"Franchising can be introduced in a different way and our opposition to it will be absolute until the threat of theft of a private business is lifted."
A spokesperson for First said: “As with any business, we have felt the impact of rising inflation while running costs continue to increase.
"This includes rising fuel, parts, and labour prices as well as the energy costs to charge our electric fleets and power our depots.
“The fares being adjusted from Sunday 4th August have all been frozen for 16 months as we have kept them at the same level for as long as possible to protect our customers.
“Congestion in Glasgow remains the biggest factor impacting fares as it continues to drive increases in the cost of operating our bus timetable."
The ball is now in SPT's court, which is currently working on sketching out exactly how franchising should work.
McGill's has reached for comment.
