GREENS DEMAND ACTION TO SAVE VITAL NIGHT BUS SERVICES
Glasgow Green Councillors have urged action to save the city’s night buses after operator First Bus announced plans to scrap all weekend night bus services from the 30th July.
The company, who introduced night buses to help boost the night-time economy, are now scrapping night bus services at a time when safer, more sustainable modes of getting around Glasgow are needed more than ever.
Glasgow Greens’ Transport Spokesperson, Cllr Christy Mearns, has demanded that the services are retained, and reformed in the longer-term, to improve uptake.
Cllr Mearns said: "There clearly is a need and a demand for night buses, so it would seem more sensible for services to be reviewed to better meet customer needs and increase uptake, rather than slashed entirely. It’s vital that all partners urgently come together to figure out how the service can be retained and improved.
“Glasgow’s passengers rightly expect public transport to be available when it is needed, so this is an extremely disappointing backwards step. For Glasgow to reduce car dependency and have a thriving night-time economy, we must have a public transport system that meets this ambition.”
Currently, routes such as the N38 & N57 only travel from the city centre south-bound, rather than to their Northern and Eastern routes they take during the day, leaving many communities across the city cut off and unable to access these vital services.
The problem is further exacerbated by Transport Scotland's decision not to allow young people to use valid under-22 National Entitlement Cards for free travel on nighttime routes - something which the Greens believe could be resolved by matching routes like-for-like with their daytime counterparts.
Glasgow Greens' communities spokesperson, Cllr Anthony Carroll said: "Our daytime routes are well known, and if we replicated those, at least in those central hubs in our communities, then perhaps the familiarity can help increase uptake overnight. It will also help in addressing issues with Transport Scotland in allowing Under-22 NEC cards to allow free travel on them.
"Locking large parts of our city out of our transport network late at night serves no-one in Glasgow. It's time these public transport providers start running our buses in the public interest."
Cllr Holly Bruce, Glasgow Greens’ Equalities spokesperson, said : “Axing the night bus service will have huge safety implications for women, vulnerable people and people of marginalised genders. This decision ignores people’s specific transport needs and restricts access to jobs, healthcare and socialising. The evidence is clear: Glaswegians want more, not less, evening services that are affordable, accessible, safe and convenient.
Update:
First Bus must reverse its decision to scrap these services. We also need an urgent action plan to sustain the services longer term. That must be a shared priority for Glasgow City Council, Transport Scotland, SPT, First Bus and night time employers.
Join us in calling for urgent action to ensure Glasgow has a night time bus service that is fit for the city.
www.greens.scot/SaveGlasgowsNightBuses