Responses

In total, we received seventy-six responses to this consultation. Of those who responded, forty-two respondents identified themselves as individuals and thirty-four responded on behalf of an organisation. This resulted in a fifty-five to forty-five percent split between respondent types.

A wide range of organisations responded to this consultation. Fifty percent of organisations were bodies who predominately represent the views of passengers, with a further six percent representing passengers and operators together and three percent representing passengers, operators and technical interests. Sole operator interests accounted for fifteen percent of organisational responses while sole technical interests accounted for twenty-six percent.

We grouped organisations into five categories which we used to provide context to responses, in particular where free text fields were used. These categories were; Technology Companies & Data Experts (including Consultants), Public Bodies, Charities, Interest Groups & Political Parties, the Bus Sector and Regional Transport Partnerships. Public Bodies and Technology Companies & Data Experts (including Consultants) accounted for a large majority of organisational responses, with thirty-two and twenty-six percent respectively. This was followed by Charities, Interest Groups & Political Parties, the Bus Sector and Regional Transport Partnerships, with eighteen, fifteen and nine per cent respectively.

Twelve percent of organisational responses indicated that they operate bus services, however, this does not include the response from the Confederation of Public Transport (CPT) who represent the views of over one-hundred bus and coach operators in Scotland. Although CPT represents every scale of operator, of the respondents who run bus services, all were either large-scale industry leaders or local authorities. To further attempt to engage with the views of smaller operators, we met with the Coach and Bus Association Cymru (CABAC), as there is no equivalent body for Scotland. We met to understand the views of the small to medium operators in Wales, which we reasonably consider to be not dissimilar to the experience of small to medium operators in Scotland.

Other organisations we conducted further engagement with include the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) and the Association of Transport Coordinating Officers (ATCO), who are the professional network of local authority officers who coordinate and develop passenger transport services, ensuring integration and accessibility across regions. ATCO presented valuable feedback and insight into the complexities of rural and smaller bus operators in Scotland engaged by local authorities. We have also had valuable insights from equivalent policy teams within Transport for Wales and with the Department for Transport and their supplier of the statutory BOD system in England during normal engagement between devolved nations. The CMA had no issue with the proposals put forward by the consultation and were therefore recorded as being content with the outline proposal.

Our digital consultation platform allows respondents to withdraw consent to have their response published, and to choose between publication with or without the name of the individual submitting the response.

The organisations who submitted a response and who agreed to have their response published (with or without submitters name) were:

  • org
  • Moray Council
  • Basemap
  • Bus Users UK
  • Vix Technology
  • Mobility and Access Committee Scotland
  • Aberdeenshire council
  • SYSTRA Ltd.
  • Glasgow City Council
  • Consumer Scotland
  • The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Scotland
  • Walking Scotland
  • Age Scotland
  • National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board - NSTAB
  • Equality and Human Rights Commission
  • Lothian Buses
  • RTIG Inform
  • Perth & Kinross Branch of the Scottish Green Party
  • Get Glasgow Moving
  • The South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran)
  • First Bus (First Aberdeen Ltd and First Glasgow Ltd)
  • Community Transport Association
  • Strathclyde Partnership for Transport