McGill’s, the largest independent bus operator in Scotland, said it would fight the plans ‘tooth and nail’
John Swinney has pledged to bring Scotland’s bus network under public control by 2031 in a move condemned as “theft” by one major operator.
It came as the First Minister also announced plans to make harassment and abuse based on misogyny a specific criminal offence within the coming months.
Mr Swinney also used his speech to the SNP’s conference in Aberdeen to launch a new independence campaign he said would be the most “sophisticated” ever undertaken.
Bus fares have previously been capped at £2 in the Highlands and islands and the west of Scotland.
Addressing delegates at the P&J Live arena, Mr Swinney said this would be extended to Aberdeen and the north east from April.
However, he said cheaper bus travel was “only one part of the story”, adding: “We need more buses, and we need more frequent buses. It’s good for commuters, and it’s good for the climate.
“I can therefore announce today that by the end of this parliament, through franchising and regulation, the SNP will bring the bus network back into public control.”
It is understood the move will allow regional transport partnerships to have more control over routes and fares on the bus network, without the government having to actively own it.
Edinburgh has a publicly-owned bus operator in the form of Lothian Buses, which is the largest municipal bus company in the UK.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is currently developing a Manchester-style bus franchising model, which would allow it to control fares, routes and ticketing, but it was estimated in 2024 that this could take seven years to set up.
Ralph Roberts, chair of McGill's Buses, the largest independent bus operator in Scotland, said it would fight the plans “tooth and nail”.
He said the business had been built from the “ground up”, adding: “What the government is wanting to do is to confiscate that business and auction it off to the lowest bidder.”
Mr Roberts told The Scotsman: “It’s not good enough. It’s no way to treat anyone.”
He said McGill’s “see it as inherently unfair and it is business confiscation”, adding: “It comes as no surprise, but it comes via theft of private companies.”
Elsewhere, Mr Swinney used his conference speech to condemn the “creeping normalisation of misogynistic behaviour in our society”.
He said: “I know that women are angry. They are right to be angry. And I know I must show personal leadership.
“So my government will bring forward a Bill to make harassment and abuse based on misogyny a specific criminal offence, and we will do so before the Summer recess.
“It will recognise misogyny as a distinct form of prejudice and abuse. We will not accept misogyny. It is completely deplorable, and it has no place in the Scotland we choose.”
He announced a new partnership to expand the “Don’t be That Guy” campaign, bringing together high-profile sportsmen from football, rugby, cycling, swimming, athletics, golf and tennis.
Meanwhile, a new £1 million respect fund will be launched before the end of the school year, to give “every school the resources they need to tackle misogyny”.
Mr Swinney also vowed to “fight the forces of the far right”.
He said: “The best way to combat the rise of the racists is in the communities of Scotland on the ground.
“So I can announce today that we will fund the community groups, the people who are the very best of us, who are doing the hard yards to build bridges and break down barriers.
“We will back them with a new three-year £30 million Scotland Together Fund, to give them the tools they need to push back the tide of racism in Scotland.”
Elsewhere, Mr Swinney told SNP supporters he is “determined” to deliver Scottish independence to create a “better” country for his teenage son, Matthew, who was in the audience.
He said: “With our election landslide this year, we have got ourselves into a fantastically strong position, and from that strong position, we are going to step up a gear.
“This weekend we launch a new campaign to reach those yet to be convinced of the case for independence. It’s called Choose Scotland, and it will be the most sophisticated campaign that we have ever undertaken.
“We know the people we need to reach, and we know how to reach them.
“Delegates, for those who consistently underestimate the determination and the commitment of SNP members, let me reassure them: This campaign is backed by our six-figure war chest.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "This was a thin and threadbare speech - filled with the same old rhetoric we've heard from John Swinney for decades.
"Rather than indulging in the endless political point-scoring, people across Scotland want to hear answers on how to tackle the issues that matter most to them.
"That means setting out all of the details for public sector reform, a strategy for getting our NHS back on track, and charting a way toward restoring our education system to what it once was.
"For far too long, powers have been hoarded at the Scottish Parliament.
"The Prime Minister has set out a meaningful proposal which would put power back into the hands of regions across Scotland.
"It was therefore disappointing there was no commitment from John Swinney to work with Labour to push power out of the centre and into the hands of local communities.
"However, we welcome his pledge to further extend the £2 bus fares cap, and to bring the bus network into public control.
"We will work with the Scottish government on this to ensure it is delivered in the interest of the people of Scotland."
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: "John Swinney inevitably and recklessly indulged his obsession of breaking up our great country at a time of increasing threats and uncertainty.
"His divisive rhetoric serves as distraction from the SNP's miserable 20-year record of failure.
“SNP members might also have expected him to explain why he and Nicola Sturgeon shut down questions about Peter Murrell, thereby allowing him to steal their cash.
"The Scottish Conservatives will continue to offer a common-sense alternative of cutting SNP waste, high taxes and benefits."