Too many of the names are similar. The bus partnership fund is not for saving bus services. As we said in our discussion with Douglas Lumsden, it is actually about making things more convenient.

There might be a correlation in that respect; if you were to make more bus lanes that allow people in Aberdeenshire, for example, to get into Aberdeen more quickly and reliably, you could potentially save services in Aberdeen. That kind of analysis is really a job for local transport partnerships and authorities. They will say, “If we can get more people in Aberdeenshire coming into Aberdeen, using those bus gates, we can say it is becoming more reliable.” We know that the patronage in Aberdeen has gone up, which is good, but I am frustrated that, unfortunately, because the financial settlement, the 10 per cent cut in our capital budget and the escalation of inflation and construction costs are putting pressure on the transport budget, we are having to pause the bus priority fund that we discussed earlier. I do think that it will help.

As for your question whether the fund saves buses and routes, that is not necessarily its purpose. It might do that unintentionally and consequentially, because it is about the sustainability of buses, and the sustainability of the market will help save routes. Even from that, you will see that this is a very complex area. Every single part of Scotland will have a different experience and the cost benefit analysis will be different in different parts of the country.

I remember being a member of this committee when this question was previously discussed. How do we use the considerable amount of grant funding in this area to deliver the changes that we want in line with fair work first principles? We are working through all the different funding streams to ensure that we can maximise that.

The stream that we looked at most recently was the network support grant. Although it is not the same amount as it was last year, it is still fully funded for the kilometres that are being met. The expectation and requirement on those who are in receipt of the network support grant is that they look at and implement the fair work first approach. For example, one aspect of the fair work first principles relates to the real living wage, and only recently, I had a letter from First Bus to let me know about its commitment in that respect.

Work has been done as part of the network support grant. Perhaps following this session we can relay to the committee information on where we are with the review of the conditionality of the other funding and also our findings from the review that we started on the network support grant.

Experiences are different in different parts of the country. We know that the availability of bus drivers has a considerable impact on the reliability of services. If there are no bus drivers, that causes an issue. The situation seems to be improving slightly, but, again, it all depends on the wages and on operators’ conditions of service—indeed, the operators that want to keep and retain drivers have worked on that issue—as well as on really important recruitment drives in different parts of the country to try to get more people to train as bus drivers.

I want a strong, sustainable, reliable, affordable, accessible bus system, and that will rely on local authorities and bus operators being able to work in partnership. As Mr Doris, I think, pointed out, we face big challenges coming out of the pandemic, but we all need to work collectively to identify how to address them, given that, as we all know, bus services are frequently the issues that our constituents contact us about.

Motion agreed to,

That the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee recommends that the Bus Services Improvement Partnerships (Objections) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 [draft] be approved.

Good morning, committee members. Thank you for inviting me to discuss the draft Bus Services Improvement Partnerships (Objections) (Scotland) Regulations 2024.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 was designed to make Scotland’s transport network cleaner, smarter and more accessible than ever before. For bus services specifically, it provides an enhanced suite of flexible options for local transport authorities to improve bus services according to local needs. The 2019 act offers wider powers for local transport authorities to run their own services, and it provides viable options for partnership working and franchising. Bus services improvement partnerships—or BSIPs, as they are known—provide a formal form of partnership working between local transport authorities and bus operators, with both sides working together to develop a partnership plan and related schemes to improve services in their area, and with both taking joint responsibility for delivery.

Once a bus services improvement partnership is in place, all operators in the area are required to meet the service standards that it sets out, regardless of whether they supported its development. As such, the objection process is key to ensuring that bus operators in an area are able to meaningfully engage with the BSIP, as it provides a mechanism for them to object to proposals. That ensures that the final partnership is based on mutual agreement and buy-in from both the transport authorities and operators so that they can serve the needs of local communities.

The regulations that are under consideration today prescribe who can object to a BSIP when it is being made, varied or revoked, and the minimum number of objections that are needed to pause or halt the proposals. A local transport authority can progress with a proposal only if a sufficient number of operators do not object. The regulations are intended to balance the right of a local transport authority to bring forward a BSIP against the right of operators to object to what is proposed.

In developing the regulations, we have sought to account for the significant variations in local bus markets across Scotland and have considered the wide range of possible scenarios in which a BSIP may be developed. We have also sought to ensure that no single operator is able to have undue influence in a BSIP. We have engaged closely with key stakeholders such as local authority transport officers and operators. Their involvement in the development of the mechanism and the regulations has been crucial in creating a practical approach that is designed to address local needs flexibly. The regulations are a key part of creating successful partnerships between local transport authorities and operators in order to improve services for passengers.

I am happy to answer any questions that members have.

I will bring in Fred O’Hara to give you some information, but I would have thought that the sensible thing would be for local authorities to identify and publicise that on their websites. However, they will also want to go through a process with their committees on how to enforce the measure. We know that that discussion has just started in Edinburgh, where the council thinks that it will be the first to put the measure in place. There might be a period of time before local authorities know that they are ready to enforce the penalties that we are providing them with the powers to enforce, should the committee and the Parliament agree to the instrument.

Engagement with key delivery companies has been continuous. It has been part of the process of drawing up the regulations. Marketing will be general, but communications can be done nationally, and I am keen that that takes place. However, I also expect local authorities, along with their local Chamber of Commerce, to actively engage with businesses on particular streets where they will want to enforce the measure. I reassure you that ensuring that drivers are aware is part of an on-going process.

In reflecting on the issues with parking, we have recognised that, although some deliveries take place in branded vans and white vans, so we know who they are, increasingly, they are done by people in their own vehicles. However, if someone is making deliveries for a business purpose, as long as they abide by the regulations that the member referred to, they will not be subject to a penalty notice.

They are in the process of doing that. Some will have done so and some will not, as yet, have done so, but they are in the process of doing that.

Perhaps Fred O’Hara can give the committee more information about that engagement.

The registered keeper has the responsibility for fines. There is an awareness issue, and we are going to try to raise awareness among everybody. However, if I were in a family in that situation, I think I would be telling my children not to pavement park, because there should not be pavement parking anyway and because I would not want them to make me liable for fines.

Thank you for inviting me to provide evidence on the Parking Prohibitions (Enforcements and Accounts) (Scotland) Regulations 2023.

As members are aware, the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 prohibits pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs and provides for penalty charges to apply where those prohibitions are contravened. To support that, the regulations laid in Parliament last month provide local authorities with the procedure to follow when enforcing the parking prohibitions. That will enable them to issue penalty charge notices to those in contravention of those prohibitions of £100, reducing to £50 if paid within 14 days.

That brings to a conclusion a significant package of work that was progressed following the implementation of the act, including regulations that were brought into force in December 2022 that gave local authorities a procedure to follow to exempt areas of footway in their areas from the pavement parking prohibitions. We have also progressed commencement regulations to bring the relevant provisions of the act into force. Passing these regulations will be the final part of enabling those important parking prohibitions to come into effective operation.

Earlier this year, as part of the development of the regulations, a public consultation was carried out. Almost 500 responses were received from a mix of individuals, local authorities and community councils. The feedback from the consultation showed that the public are overwhelmingly in support of the regulations to improve accessibility on our roads and pavements.

My officials have been working closely with local authorities across Scotland to assist them in preparing for the regulations coming into force. The input received was vital in shaping the regulations that are now under discussion. In addition, my officials continue to work closely with local authorities and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to identify what further funding will be required to facilitate the implementation of the regulations and provide support to authorities in setting up back-office functions to enforce the regulations effectively.

The regulations and the subsequent parking standards guidance, which will go hand in hand with the regulations, are needed to provide local authorities with a procedure to follow when enforcing the parking prohibitions and will be in line with the powers that are provided in the 2019 act. They also set out the procedures to be followed in relation to the appeals process and the circumstances in which a penalty charge notice may be appealed. The regulations also lay out the procedures to be followed in respect of the keeping of accounts and the purposes for which any financial surplus can be used.

It is important to stress that inconsiderate, obstructive or dangerous parking can and does cause serious problems for everyone and puts the safety of pedestrians and other motorists in jeopardy. The parking prohibitions are aimed at promoting, supporting and advancing the rights of pavement users, to ensure that our pavements and roads are accessible for all. Transport Scotland will also launch an awareness campaign in the coming days to ensure that the public are aware of the new regulations and the fact that local authorities will have the power to issue and enforce penalty charge notices from 11 December, should the regulations be approved by Parliament.

The campaign will focus on changing the behaviour of drivers who park inconsiderately and on raising awareness of the impact that that can have on all pavement users. I am happy to answer any questions that the committee might have on the content of the regulations.