While the West of Scotland Thistle Awards celebrated the local tourism industry, a large queue had formed outside, emulating a sight familiar to many: that of waiting for a bus that will never come. This is how Living Rent branches in Glasgow, alongside Get Glasgow Moving campaigners kickstarted our new campaign to demand upcoming tourism tax revenues are directed to fund publicly owned buses. Dressed as workers and tourists, demonstrators held signs condemning our broken bus network and demanding better from those in power.
The 5% visitor levy which will be introduced in 2027 is estimated to raise 16 million per year. As a community union, we have long campaigned to improve living conditions for everyday Glaswegians and know this sum presents a perfect opportunity to invest in quality public services. Instead, the council is planning to use this money to further develop tourism in our region. Funding tourism while we struggle to make full use of our city due to unaffordable and unreliable bus networks shows the council is more interested in accommodating tourists than residents.
A new report from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) shows less than a fifth of users are satisfied with our bus network (Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy - Final Draft for Approval). We know there is a different way, with franchising models showing the success of reinvesting back into the network. The Scottish Government holds franchising powers from June 2025, but there is little indication of when this could become a reality in Glasgow.
With next year's Commonwealth Games happening in Glasgow, our city is set to see a significant increase in visitors who will no doubt be left underwhelmed by Glasgow’s impractical, expensive and slow services. Indeed, franchising would not only benefit Glaswegians, but also tourists trying to get to know our city. As a city, we should be striving to attract tourists because Glasgow is effectively run and well connected, rather than spending money on tourist infrastructure expressly designed for them.
Affordable and reliable transport is at the heart of a liveable city. Buses connect people with their loved ones, places of employment, leisure and commerce. People on low incomes, disabled people and women are more likely to rely on buses to get by. Despite their importance, the quality of buses has declined sharply since they were deregulated in the 1980s and 1990s. In Glasgow we have seen how private operators have run buses to reap profits rather than to serve people’s needs. Local communities have had routes cut with more profitable services favoured instead. Every year, the price of tickets reaches a new high, all the while, shareholders are reaping the rewards of privatisation.
Cities across Scotland and the UK have had franchising in place for years, it is absurd that a city the size of Glasgow, is still lagging behind in this regard. We find it logical that the tourist tax should be used to support franchising and improve our buses once for all, four residents and tourists alike.
Sign our petition to demand that:
The money generated from the tourist tax should help speed up the reintroduction of public buses in the city.
The tourist tax revenue should be used to fund Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) in the establishment of a publicly- owned bus service (under a franchising model).
