Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon have called on First Bus to reverse its decision to axe night services in Glasgow.
The First Minister and his predecessor added their signatures to a joint letter sent today to the privatised transport giant urging it to reverse the cuts.
First Bus provoked a storm of outrage from politicians and trade unions when it announced this week it would no longer offer late night services across Greater Glasgow.
It has brought the state of public transport in the region into sharp focus amid repeated complaints from residents that it is not fit for purpose.
Bus services in Glasgow were privatised during the Thatcher era and the city council currently has little power to make First change its mind.
A letter co-signed by 16 SNP MSPs representing constituencies affected by the cuts has now been sent to First managing director Duncan Cameron.
"It is not an overstatement to say the weekend late-night bus service is a lifeline to so many within Glasgow and the surrounding areas, and the removal of this service will have a detrimental impact on many of our constituents and Glasgow’s industries," it said.
"Bus services (like yours) offer safe, low cost and low-carbon ways for people to travel - even more vital in the midst of a cost of living crisis, a climate emergency, and when concerns over the safety of people (in particular women) travelling in the evenings is being examined.
"Ultimately, cancelling the night bus service will come as a devastating blow to many of the constituents and businesses we represent.
"We urge you to reconsider your decision to cancel the weekend night-bus service."
Labour MSP Alex Rowley said: "It is simply astounding that despite being in power since 2007 and ostensibly running the Glasgow council, this meaningless gesture was all the SNP could think of to save these vital services.
"Hundreds of Glaswegians rely on buses to move around the city safely at night, but instead of fighting for them, the SNP has simply given up.
"This is unacceptable. The SNP must take real action now to save Glasgow's night buses and ensure the city remains open and accessible to all."
Graeme Macfarlan, commercial director for First Bus Scotland, said: "The decision to withdraw the night bus services in Glasgow from 31st July was made following a 12-month period of monitoring passenger numbers which were 30%-35% of where they needed to be.
"Despite facing significant losses, we continued to run the night bus services for over 12 months as we played our part in helping to boost the night-time economy in the city as Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
"However our own data, as well as data from other organisations across the city, shows that people have adjusted their behaviour post pandemic in a way that sees them going into the city centre earlier and going home earlier.
"There has been a clear drop in footfall in Glasgow city centre since the pandemic and our experiences over the last 12 months running the night bus services have shown there is no consistent appetite for a late-night bus service in the city."
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