The Scottish Government’s being accused by Labour of putting lifeline bus services in the country “stuck in a spiral of decline” after cutting money for a bus improvement fund.
The Scottish Daily Express reports funding has been cut which was to improve buses, despite boasting that it would “transform” services across the country.
The paper says that in 2019, the Nationalist Executive pledged to spend £500m on bus priority infrastructure via the Bus Partnership Fund. However, just £26.9m has been spent as part of that scheme so far, with it being quietly dropped in the budget announced last week.
It adds a new “Bus Infrastructure Fund” has been announced, with £10m allocated to this – less than half of the 2023-24 Bus Partnership Fund budget and well below the level of funding promised five years ago.
Labour’s Transport spokesperson Claire Baker told the paper: “Under the SNP, lifeline bus services in Scotland have been stuck in a spiral of decline.
“Services are disappearing while fares soar, leaving communities cut off and Scots paying more for less. Five years ago the SNP promised £500 million worth of investment to transform Scotland’s bus infrastructure, but it looks like this promise has been quietly ditched. The SNP must stop making promises it cannot keep and set out a real plan to deliver the reliable, affordable bus network Scotland needs.”
(Picture – Yay Images)
