2. To ask the Scottish Government when it last received an update from the traffic commissioner for Scotland on any complaints regarding local bus services. (S6O-02665)

Scottish Government officials have regular engagement with the traffic commissioner for Scotland. However, the traffic commissioner is an independently appointed regulator and does not inform officials about specific complaints that she receives. Findings of any proceedings against bus operators can be found on the office of the traffic commissioner’s website.

As the Minister is aware, the traffic commissioner has a standard of 95 per cent for the punctuality of buses. Following a number of complaints, an investigation by Bus Users Scotland showed that only 88 per cent of some McGill’s Buses services in my Constituency ran on time. However, I suspect that figure to be much lower, as my constituents regularly tell me that services are cancelled at short notice, that they are unreliable and that communication is poor. That impacts on people’s ability to get to work and access education and healthcare on a daily basis, and it often leaves people stranded late at night.

Can the minister outline the steps that the transport commissioner can take to ensure that McGill’s takes action to improve the levels of service that are so crucial to many of my constituents?

In relation to punctuality and service complaints, the traffic commissioner relies on evidence that is submitted to her by BUS arising from the monitoring exercises that it carries out. If BUS finds evidence that an operator is failing to run a service in line with its registration, it can inform the traffic commissioner, who has the power to take action against the operator. That could include issuing a fine, imposing conditions on its public service vehicle licence or rejecting future service applications from the same operator.

I am aware that, on 14 August, in recognition of the punctuality and reliability issues, McGill’s made a number of service changes that were designed to improve bus services in the Clackmannanshire area.