McGill’s threatens legal action over Swinney’s Scottish bus plan

John Swinney’s plan to bring Scottish bus services under public control by 2031 has drawn a threat of legal action from operator McGill’s, whose owners say the proposal could amount to confiscating their business. The dispute matters because the proposed changes could reshape how routes and fares are set, amid concerns that some services are being withdrawn.

Swinney announced the plan at the SNP conference, with a Bill due to be introduced at Holyrood next year. McGill’s chairman Ralph Roberts said the firm would go to court if it lost the ability to trade, citing a lack of consultation; owner Sandy Easdale compared Swinney to Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe. Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth defended the plan as a way to protect routes, while McGill’s warned franchising in Strathclyde alone could cost nearly £400 million a year.