Will Stagecoach Bite the Dust?

I have never been a great fan of Stagecoach for various reasons, though there may be worse bus companies about. Ann Gloag and her brother Brian Souter started up the company on a shoestring in 1980,buying a bus for £420 in 1980 that transported workers to a building site.Then they used a little money from their dad's £25,000 redundancy money to buy two more buses.You know the rest. Stagecoach is now an international company,operating buses,trains,trams and ferries.Most people reading this will use a Stagecoach bus most days of their lives,without thinking much about it. The trouble is that this bus company is starting to look like some strange monster,go bbling all in its path. I don't like Stagecoach too much for the following reasons. I do not mind Ann and Brian making a little money from their plucky enterprise. The problem is that they have simply made far,fa r too much money.Like most plutocrats,I am afraid they are completely out of touch. They are now worth £1.04 billion,-Ann owning an enormous castle, Kinfauns Castle in Perthshire, while Brian owns a swanky £8 million townhouse in Belgravia, London. You may say,"Good luck to them." I am not so sure.. I could You can guess who is paying for all this.It is you and me. Are we getting value for money when we use Stagecoach? I think not. Taking my own route, for example, the number 12 bus in Stevenston runs every 40 minutes most of the time. It stops at tea time. In some areas it is worse than that, all life being suddenly switched off. Many years ago this number 12 service ran every 15 minutes for a fraction of the price,even considering inflation. [ That was the old A1 service.I recall the bus drivers were trained mechanics who could sort out engine trouble in a trice,but I digress].It is the same everywhere, with the number of bus runs slashed and with high fares. The prices are awful. A West of Scotland Connect 7 day megarider,for example,costs £60. It is £11.80 for a Kilmarnock 7 day megarider. Stagecoach raise their fares far too often and way above inflation. The bosses are in Lala land. Do they treat their drivers well? I rather doubt it. A driver has to pay £3,000 for the cost of his training. Comments from drivers past and present are hardly glowing. Here are a few. "The management's work - life balance is very poor. They do not always take into account the needs of their workforce." Or again,"The sick pay is very poor and there's hardly any bereavement pay." "It is difficult to get holidays when you need them" "The management are far too strict." Crucially,an Ayrshire driver reports,"There is no overtime at weekends. There is nothing extra for night shifts or for weekends." Also,"There are long,unpaid breaks and driving continuously for 5 hours,30 minutes." I am sure you get the message about how Stagecoach is run. There was a piece in a local newspaper last year about the seething discontent among Stagecoach drivers. I would not be surprised if there is a strike. A good company takes proper care of its workers. Because of the greedy,high prices on the buses and the reduction in services,ordinary folk are suffering terribly. People rely on buses so much and they are being let down badly. They have to get to and from work for a start and many have no option but to take a bus. Families might want to go to a leisure centre but can't afford the bus fare. Some people will become more socially isolated simply because they cannot afford regular, exorbitant bus fares. I know that Stagecoach do not make up all the rules. One must be fair. It is true that people over 60 and the disabled travel for nothing. But what about the rest of us,including the unemployed? I gather modern apprentices get concessions also,as well as Jobseekers being allowed two return journeys a month if they can prove they are attending an interview. But all this is hardly enough and all the while Stagecoach is coining it in. Thank goodness that North Ayrshire Council,now Labour controlled,are putting their foot down at long last. They have at at last tumbled to the fact that the public have suffered long enough. Plans are afoot to kick Stagecoach out as our bus service. Stagecoach,Ann Gloag and Brian Souter are livid about it all and screaming blue murder. NAC's plan is simply to explore options for running a municipal bus service, -owned by the public and for the public. Profits be damned,they say: the public comes first and foremost.The needs of the community must be put ahead of profits. NAC cite the successful roll out of a municipal bus service in Lothian and elsewhere. As a socialist,I praise the vision and humanity of North Ayrshire Council here. However, I have to add that it does not go nearly far enough. In some parts of the world - cities and conurbations in Europe, the USA and South America - there is FREE bus,rail,tram and ferry services for EVERYBODY. The Scottish Government really need to look at this great vision and hope more closely. To those who say it simply could not be done here I would just point out one or two facts. On the one hand, the plan in Scotland would cost £500 million a year,plus investment required for new buses and railway rolling stock. On the other hand,huge savings would be made in reducing road congestion. According to the CBI, £2.1 billion is lost to the Scottish economy every year because of road congestion. There is also an annual £1.4 billion lost in road accidents. Basically.the scheme would pay for itself.Moreover, tourism would flourish as never before. The environment and people's health would also benefit due to far fewer gas emissions on the roads. People could visit their friends more easily and their mental health would benefit. Young folk would get their life back to some extent too. It is a million to one chance that North Ayrshire Council could implement free travel for all on their own.but stranger things have happened. It would be the greatest miracle since Lazarus. As I write I learn that Stagecoach have had their East Coast train franchise ended by the government,no doubt due to incompetence and greed. I do indeed think the link that the whole company will have to get its act together or else get off the stage altogether.

David Rodger

North Ayrshire correspondent

davidrodger107@yahoo.com ​