Private bus companies set to go head-to-head with Renfrewshire Council

Feb 17 2010 by Jeff Holmes, Paisley Daily Express

HUNDREDS of jobs will be axed if private bus companies are driven out of Paisley.

The newly organised Paisley Bus Partnership (PBS) are making the claim in the wake of Renfrewshire Council’s decision to implement UK legislation five years early.

And they say that decision will affect people living in Glenburn, Foxbar, Ferguslie and other parts of Renfrewshire.

Acceptable European emissions standards must be implemented throughout the UK by 2015 but the PBS insist this is being forced upon them now.

Allan Hill, transport manager of Fairway Coaches, and a member of the PBS, said: “If this is allowed to go ahead, six or seven private bus companies could be forced out of business and up to 250 jobs lost.

“The owners were well aware of the legislation and had been budgeting for having the changes in place by the implementation date.

“Why, all of a sudden, are we now being told that we have to have it all in place five years early?”

The PBS insist that if council plans go ahead, bus companies refusing to sign up as part of the scheme will be refused permission to use council facilities, such as bus stops.

Stewart Dickson, owner of Dickson’s Buses, said: “This is being forced upon us and they want us to declare we’re ‘in’ by Friday, January 29 this year. It’s outrageous.

“If we don’t sign up and agree to their proposals, they will stop us using council bus stops, which will effectively prevent us from operating.”

Riverside Buses owner Anne Cowden added: “We always knew the legislation was a goer, but all our financial plans are geared up for 2015. We simply can’t afford to go out and buy new buses now. They cost around £110,000 each and who has that sort of cash lying around? Certainly not us.”

The private companies are also concerned that bus-hopping Buddies will be the real losers in this battle of the buses.

Stephen Forbes, boss at Key Coaches, which covers Johnstone and Elderslie, said: “According to the council these changes have to be in place by October of this year – but that’s totally unrealistic.

“This will suit the larger operators down to a tee. History tells us that with no competition, fares undoubtedly rise.

“We have already been in touch with the Office of Fair Trading and they are looking into it. We have also contacted several MSPs.”

He added: “Smaller bus companies provide a lifeline service to people. We pass five old folks homes on one of our routes.”

Phoenix Buses operate in Paisley and Johnstone, and owner Billy Hutchison insisted that all the PBS ever wanted was the chance to prepare properly for 2015.

He said: “Our biggest problem is how to finance the scheme.

“We all had our own ways to do this, just not this year.

“The council say this will attract people back into Paisley but for the life of me I don’t know how they managed to come to that conclusion.”