The public petitions system has now closed ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections on 7 May 2026. It is not possible to submit a new petition to the Scottish Parliament or sign a petition until after the election.

The petitions system will reopen at the start of the new parliamentary session.

For more information about the petitions process, please contact the committee team at petitions.committee@parliament.scot.

For more information about the election campaign period and the dissolution of the current parliament, please visit the Scottish Parliament’s Election 2026 webpage: https://www.parliament.scot/msps/elections/election-2026

Closed petition PE2116: Accelerate the implementation of bus franchising powers

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to improve the process for implementing the bus franchising powers contained in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 by:

  • introducing, without delay, the regulations and statutory guidance required to give bus franchising powers full effect

  • amending the 2019 Act to remove the requirement for proposed franchising frameworks to be approved by a panel appointed by the traffic commissioner, instead empowering Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) to have the final say on approving proposals

  • providing additional funding to help support RTPs in preparing franchising frameworks and assisting them with initial set-up costs once frameworks are approved.

Background information

There is widespread consensus across the UK that the policy of bus deregulation (implemented in 1986) has failed to deliver the integrated and affordable public transport urgently required to meet climate targets and reduce inequalities.

The new UK Government has announced plans for a Better Buses Bill, to “support every community [in England] to take back control of buses through franchising or public ownership”.

Due to severe delays enacting the franchising powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, Transport Scotland’s failure to support RTPs to use these powers, as well as cuts to RTPs budgets, Scotland now lags far behind England and Wales in the process of re-regulation.

We believe the requirement of an independent panel to approve proposals in Scotland is an unnecessary step, which risks wasting many more years and approx. £15million per RTP, if proposals are rejected. The legislation must be simplified to give the democratically-accountable RTP Boards the final say.

  • Created by Ellie Harrison on behalf of Better Buses for Strathclyde
  • Date closed 24 September 2025

This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament

Find out about the decisions taken on this petition

5,722 signatures