r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	twoxraydelta
Comment	Media training 101 - don’t give them a headline! Dunky boy sounds like he is fighting for his life in this interview but he is right about a few things. The loudest critics don’t understand the industry (or even running a business in general) that much is clear from comments being made across the board. The people coming out of the woodwork now “writing letters” to try and look good are the people with power to have actually done something about it. This decision didn’t happen overnight. First bus would have been in discussion with various parties for months. They would have attempted to get support funding/subsidies for it and looked at every alternative. It has obviously fell on deaf ears. First Bus will take the brunt of the bad press but the government should not be getting a free pass. Bus services are deregulated in Scotland. That means ANYBODY who is a fit an proper person can register a bus service and operate it. At the end of the day First Bus are a business that needs to generate a profit. There are some solutions to this: 1 - given public transport is a free market another bus operator could step in and operate night bus services - unlikely because all bus companies need to generate a profit and these night bus services don’t do that. The same goes for transport in general. Everybody complains about First Bus but there is nothing stopping anybody who things they can do better stepping in. It doesn’t happen. Thin margins mean the risk:reward ratio is not worth it and LEZ killed off loads of small operators who couldn’t afford newer buses. (LEZ applied to buses several years ago). 2 - the government/council could start up their own bus operation and run it for the good of the people. Why haven’t they? It would cost millions and be a massive financial black hole. For example Londons bus services lose £700m a year. Scaled to Glasgow that would be roughly £100m. 3 - simplest solution, government steps in with funding and provides a transport subsidy to keep the service running. Its standard industry practice to do this for services which are deemed vital to the community but not commercially viable. Where is the [SPT tender](https://www.spt.co.uk/media/wjplw5eb/spt-framework-for-supporting-local-bus-services.pdf) ???
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/14yfe3w/first_glasgow_boss_says_pub_staff_could_drive/jrshtz9/
Created	Thu 13th Jul 2023 12:44pm
Status	normal ()

Media training 101 - don’t give them a headline!

Dunky boy sounds like he is fighting for his life in this interview but he is right about a few things.

The loudest critics don’t understand the industry (or even running a business in general) that much is clear from comments being made across the board.

The people coming out of the woodwork now “writing letters” to try and look good are the people with power to have actually done something about it.

This decision didn’t happen overnight. First bus would have been in discussion with various parties for months. They would have attempted to get support funding/subsidies for it and looked at every alternative. It has obviously fell on deaf ears.

First Bus will take the brunt of the bad press but the government should not be getting a free pass. Bus services are deregulated in Scotland. That means ANYBODY who is a fit an proper person can register a bus service and operate it. At the end of the day First Bus are a business that needs to generate a profit. There are some solutions to this:

1 - given public transport is a free market another bus operator could step in and operate night bus services - unlikely because all bus companies need to generate a profit and these night bus services don’t do that. The same goes for transport in general. Everybody complains about First Bus but there is nothing stopping anybody who things they can do better stepping in. It doesn’t happen. Thin margins mean the risk:reward ratio is not worth it and LEZ killed off loads of small operators who couldn’t afford newer buses. (LEZ applied to buses several years ago).

2 - the government/council could start up their own bus operation and run it for the good of the people. Why haven’t they? It would cost millions and be a massive financial black hole. For example Londons bus services lose £700m a year. Scaled to Glasgow that would be roughly £100m.

3 - simplest solution, government steps in with funding and provides a transport subsidy to keep the service running. Its standard industry practice to do this for services which are deemed vital to the community but not commercially viable. Where is the [SPT tender](https://www.spt.co.uk/media/wjplw5eb/spt-framework-for-supporting-local-bus-services.pdf) ???