Public Transport

In Scotland, an extensive system of public transport has developed since the 19th century. Most public transport providers have been private companies operating for profit. However, some local authorities operated tramways and buses from the late 19th century and owned ferry rights from medieval times. Local authorities have also been involved in subsidising routes to less populated areas, by land, sea or air, along with central government.

The first local authority to own and operate a public transport system was Glasgow which set up Glasgow Corporation Tramways in 1894, to take over the tram routes from the Glasgow Tramway and Omnibus Co.[1] Glasgow also took over the subway in 1923 from the Glasgow District Subway Co which had constructed it in 1896. Edinburgh Corporation Tramways Department took over its tramways in 1919, Dundee in 1897 and Aberdeen in 1898. These four cities continued to operate public transport systems with trams and buses under their powers as corporations.

The British Transport Commission, set up by the Transport Act 1947, took over a number of the larger bus companies, including Scottish Motor Traction Co., which operated many of the rural and town public transport routes through its subsidiaries such as W Alexander & Co. Local authority bus companies were not directly affected by this.

The Transport Act 1968 created passenger transport executives to co-ordinate and operate public transport in large urban areas but in Scotland this was applied only to the Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Area.[2] Under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the functions of the Greater Glasgow Transport Executive were transferred to Strathclyde Regional Council. The Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive continued after local government re-organisation in 1996. The remit included land and water transport, and therefore buses, ferries, trains, and an underground service, with incidental powers to acquire and dispose of property and equipment, construct stations or other relevant works, make investments, make payments to railways for train passenger services and promote or oppose parliamentary bills. The passenger transport executive was accountable to Strathclyde Regional Council and required approval from the council for major outlays, major re-organisation of transport services and changes to pricing and fees structures.

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 required regional and islands councils to develop policies to promote the co-ordination of public transport systems and enabled them to subsidise public transport by land, water or air.[3] Grampian, Lothian and Tayside Regions inherited the local authority bus undertakings of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee respectively. The Transport Act 1985 required local authorities to form their bus undertakings into limited companies, but they could still be wholly owned by the local authority.[4] The Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994 transferred these powers and responsibilities to the unitary councils from 1996.[5]

Compiler: Elspeth Reid (2021)

Related Knowledge Base entries

Harbours

Ferries

Airports

Bibliography

Bell, James, and James Paton, Glasgow: Its Municipal Organization and Administration (MacLehose, 1896)

Ferguson, Keith, An introduction to Local Government in Scotland (The Planning Exchange, 1984)

Whyte, W. E., Local Government in Scotland (Hodge, 1936)

References

[1] Glasgow Corporation Act 1893 (56 & 57 Vict. c.ccviii).

[2] Transport Act 1968 (c.73).