Scots power bid
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ALL OF SCOTLAND'S regional councils have made a bid to gain bus operating powers, but the Government will almost certainly turn it down, reports ALAN MILLAR.
At present, Grampian, Lothian and Tayside Regions and Strathclyde PTE (on behalf of the region) have direct bus operating powers derived from local Acts under the 1930 Road Traffic Act, and Western Isles Council has recently secured powers by a Provisional Order.
The bid to add bus operating powers to the Roads (Scotland) Bill introduced in the House of Lords last month to rationalise roads law in Scotland is being pursued by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), which met Scottish Office Minister Michael Ancram in November.
It would clarify whether Strathclyde has direct bus operating powers in the large and predominantly rural parts of the region outside the PTE's designated area, and would give
Highland, Central, Fife, Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway Regions and Orkney and Shetland Islands Councils direct bus operating powers should they, wish to use them.
Cosla assistant secretary Charles Anderson told CM that the councils were not looking for the powers with a view to expanding at will into direct bus operation, but there have been cases where extreme difficulty has been experienced in finding operators who are prepared to step in when another ceases to trade or withdraws socially necessary services.
He explained that Western Isles only pursued its expensive means of obtaining powers after two companies withdrew services which were only replaced after a great deal of effort on the part of the council.
Mr Anderson added that Central Region had to provide administrative assistance to an operator in its area when the operator found stage service activities conflicted with the management of its tours and private hire business. In that case, it would also have been difficult to find a substitute operator.
If granted, the powers would have no effect on the powers already available to carry farepaying passengers on school buses, and clearly are being sought on the grounds that they would be "fire brigade" powers to step in where other operators cannot be found.
But Mr Ancram clearly sees the bid as empire building and will refuse to grant the powers. He fears the councils would regard them as a carte blanche to run buses, but is prepared to look sympathetically at individual cases if they arise.