COP26: Transforming public transport to fight climate change
As COP26 takes place in Glasgow, fringe events are being held around the city to discuss how climate change can be addressed. The Govanhill Baths are holding a packed programme of events at their Deep End venue, including this discussion on the city’s bus transport.
Les Chatfield from Brighton, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Craig Hunter
The Govanhill Baths venue, the Deep End experienced a full house for its panel discussion proposing the re-regulation of Glasgow’s buses.
Just Transition: Transforming public transport to fight climate change brought together representatives from Get Glasgow Moving, Unite Hospitality Glasgow and the Scottish Green Party. The panel was chaired by Matthew Topham, a Better Buses Campaigner at We Own It, who travelled from Yorkshire for the event.
A short promotional film from Get Glasgow Moving did a good job of explaining the benefits of bringing buses back into public ownership. Campaigner Ellie Harrison’s stated aim of “world class, fully integrated, affordable public transport” was met by applause.
Apart from in London, bus services were deregulated across the UK by Thatcher in 1986. Arms-length partnerships gradually turned into solely private concerns everywhere else except Edinburgh. That these two cities have the cheapest, most reliable, best-used and respected public transport systems in the country is no coincidence, it is suggested.
Caitlin Lee of Unite Hospitality Glasgow highlighted the difficulties faced by her members in travelling to and from work at unsociable hours. She said many feel forced to spend an hour’s salary on a taxi due to the low volume and poor links between bus and train services. She found it particularly galling that delegates at COP26 were given an integrated card covering bus, train and subway, yet her colleagues, servicing these delegates, do not get this option.
Deputy Lord Provost Christie Mearns of the Scottish Greens brought up the isolation of older people from poor services. This was supported later by an audience member’s experience.
A representative of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, whose members number more than 20 million, was in town for COP26 and expressed his solidarity with the campaign, positioning it alongside similar grassroots movements around the world as part of a global fight.
The Transport (Scotland) Act makes provision for the re-regulation of buses and, in England, Greater Manchester will be the first to bring them back under public control since deregulation.
Improving services to encourage people out of their cars is an obvious environmental aim, so the wind does seem to be blowing favourably for this cause. Putting this on the agenda for the Scottish council elections in 2022 is a key target.
Transport Day at COP26 is on Wednesday, 10 November. Get Glasgow Moving is holding a protest in George Square at 9 am. More information on the campaign is available here: www.getglasgowmoving.org
Want to find out more about climate fringe events happening in the Southside? Read this handy guide from SEIN.