Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to improve the process for implementing the bus franchising powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 by: - amending the 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; - providing additional funding to support RTPs in preparing franchising frameworks and assisting them with initial set-up costs once frameworks are approved.
Petitioner: Ellie Harrison on behalf of the Better Buses National Coalition
Status: Under consideration
Date published: 25 August 2026
Click here to read and sign the full petition
SPICe Briefing (155KB, pdf) posted 12 October 2026
5 November 2026: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government to seek further evidence, and to the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland to seek their views on the actions called for in the petition. The Committee also agreed to write to the Transport Committee to identify whether the issues raised in the petition are within the scope of its inquiry on Scotland's bus services.
Meeting of the Public Petitions Committee, 5 November 2026
PE2246/A: Scottish Government written submission, 22 September 2026 (93KB, pdf) posted 23 September 2026
PE2246/B: Petitioner written submission, 29 October 2026 (106KB, pdf) posted 30 October 2026