Local Bus FAQ's

What role does the council have in regulating the West Lothian bus network?

Councils do not have any role in regulating the commercial bus network, which (in West Lothian) represents around 80% of bus journeys. The Transport Act 1985 deregulated bus services in the UK, moving from council-run buses to an open commercial market.

The majority of bus services in Scotland are operated on a commercial basis by private bus companies. Provided that an operator registers a service with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner they can operate any route they wish to any timetable.

The council do however subsidise a small number of services in West Lothian, which represents around 20% of local bus journeys, and hold contracts with operators for these individual services.

Details of these contracted services can be found at Local Bus Services Information.

Why are commercial bus operators reducing their services?

Some commercial bus operators have made recent changes to their registered services citing multiple reasons for the need for changes.

These reasons include: continued challenges with a shortage of drivers available in the industry; the increased cost in running services; passenger numbers not yet recovering to pre-pandemic levels; and the ending of Scottish Government funding for the COVID-19 Support Grant, which ceased on 31 March 2023.

Do you need a license to run a bus route?

The council do not issue a license to run a bus route. 

You need a public service vehicle (PSV) operator's licence issued by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner to:

• operate a vehicle for hire or reward (payment or payment in kind) that can carry 9 or more passengers
• operate a smaller vehicle carrying passengers and charging separate fares for the journey

Commercial bus routes are required to be registered with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

Provided that an operator registers a service with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner they can operate any route they wish to any timetable.

Does the council have a duty to ensure that bus contracts are properly adhered to?

The council has no authority over the commercial market or operations. 

The Traffic Commissioner for Scotland has sole responsibility for licensing the operators of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), buses and coaches (Public Service Vehicles or PSVs) the registration of local bus services.  The Traffic Commissioner has powers to investigate complaints and impose sanctions on operators who fail to run their registered services to the required standard.  The council does not hold this power.

Where the council subsidises routes or sections of routes, these fall under individual contracts (we do not have a general contract with McGill's or any other operator to runs bus services).  There are Conditions of Contract for which the operators are required to adhere to for any subsidised route.  There are punitive options available to the council, for example improvement plans, warning systems and even contract removal, however it is unlikely that at this point a punitive measure would assist in having an immediate response to the current problems such as driver/resource related.  The council have previously deducted the cost of cancelled journeys from payment to bus companies.

Do bus operators have to bid to run a service?

Not for commercial routes. The majority of bus services in Scotland are operated on a commercial basis by private bus companies. Provided that an operator registers a service with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner they can operate any route they wish to any timetable.

Where the council requires to contract services that cannot be provided by operators on a commercial basis, these are published for tender through PCS Scotland and operators are required to submit a bid for these services.  Councils are not permitted to run services that compete with commercial routes.

Who grants permission for bus operators to run services?

Commercial operators are only required to register a service with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner to operate any route they wish to any timetable.

Can bus routes be taken away from operators who fail to run a service?

The Traffic Commissioner has powers to investigate complaints and impose sanctions on operators who fail to run their registered services to the required standard.

What bus services does the council fund and why?

A list of services which currently receives funding from the council can be found at Local Bus Services Information.

These services were designed to complement the commercial network and provide vital links to communities otherwise not served with public transport.

Has the money the council uses to fund bus services reduced?

The budget available for council-subsidised services has been maintained, however the cost of these services has increased in line with inflation.

A review of contracted services is underway and a survey can be completed at .

This is to help the council understand where funding is prioritised to best meet the needs for residents and resources in West Lothian.

Do bus operators receive any other support from public funds, such as from local, Scottish or UK Government? Has this support changed recently?

Operators may receive additional funding from the Scottish Government, details of some of the schemes available can be found at Transport Scotland (opens new window)

The Scottish Government COVID-19 support grant ceased on 31 March 2023

Has the council received or been offered additional money from the UK or Scottish governments to support more bus services?

No additional money has been received, or offered, to fund more subsidised bus services in West Lothian.

Can bus operators who run profitable routes be forced to use these profits to subsidise loss-making routes?

No. Commercial operators can operate any route they wish to any timetable provided they register the service with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

How do I complain about the bus service in my area?

If you have a complaint about buses in Scotland, in the first instance you should raise your complaint with the operator in question. Their complaints procedure will be published on their website.

If you do not receive a response to your satisfaction then you can raise your concerns with Bus Users UK. 

Bus Users UK's remit includes:

• Incorrect fare charged
• Attitude or behaviour of staff
• Personal security
• Accessibility
• Clarity of destination and route inform
• Reliability and punctuality

Address: Bus Users UK, 22 Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1PR
Telephone: 0300 111 0001
E-mail: enquiries@bususers.org (opens new window)  Website: Bus Users (opens new window)