Swinney dismisses bus industry’s dictator comparisons over public control plan

John Swinney rejected bus industry criticism of his plan to bring Scottish bus services under public control, calling comparisons with dictators Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe “laughable” and the language “hysterical”. The dispute followed his announcement that franchising and regulation would be introduced by 2031, a proposal that has raised questions about costs, existing operators and how the system would work.

McGill’s owner Sandy Easdale made the dictator comparison, while the company’s chairman called the plan “business confiscation” and said the owners would challenge it in court. Easdale estimated the proposal could cost close to £400 million a year in Strathclyde. The Confederation of Passenger Transport and electric bus company Ember also criticised the lack of detail, with operators seeking clarity on how smaller firms might take part. Swinney said he wanted a substantive discussion about putting the plan into practice; he also announced the £2 bus fare cap would extend to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire from April.