Taskforce Background

Taskforce Context 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government provided significant financial support to the bus sector, with over £223 million in assistance provided to bus operators to maintain essential services, offset the impact that reduced demand was having on the viability of local services and to protect the industry for the future.

As this additional support was phased out at the start of 2023-24, there was a need for the bus sector to adapt to the changing market and for public funding support provided to be sustainable in the longer term. The Taskforce was set up to help support this transition.

The Taskforce convened for a total of four meetings over the course of ten months, with the final meeting taking place in June 2023.

The first three meetings of the Taskforce were chaired by the then Minister for Transport, Jenny Gilruth MSP and the final meeting by the current Minister for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP.

The Taskforce agreed to progress towards the following outcomes:

  • Set out a collaborative pathway for increasing patronage long term
  • Co-design pathway to address driver shortages
  • Co-design best practice guidance for community engagement on networks and changes
  • Begin discussions on progressing longer term strategic goals
  • Establish Regional Steering Groups to support implementation of immediate actions, and to review local bus networks - giving consideration to the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 powers and emerging travel patterns

Expert sub-groups, independently chaired by industry, reporting to the main Taskforce were established to progress work on three key workstreams below:

  1. Address workforce retention and recruitment
  2. Support patronage recovery
  3. Ensure proactive communication and engagement with bus users as networks adapt post Covid

Each sub-group met regularly between Taskforce meetings to explore the issues in more depth and develop practical solutions. Membership of the Taskforce and sub-groups is set out at Annex A. Transport Scotland provided the secretariat functions for each subgroup, however responsibility for each sub- group sat with the agreed Chair.