Latest news with #FirstBusScotland
Scotsman
24-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Innovative First Bus AI timetables help service reliability hit new heights in Glasgow following £3 million investment in improving services
Glasgow's biggest bus operator sees 13.5% improvement in on-time performance across its network Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A £3 million investment by First Bus in Glasgow has led to a significant 13.5% average increase in on-time performance across its services. The investment was made in bus and driver resource to implement new timetables created by AI-driven software, which works to account for issues on the route, ultimately aiming to increase the reliability of its services and create an improved experience for customers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The introduction of AI-driven software to create more accurate and reliable timetables has been a cornerstone of this improvement, with the new approach accounting for real-life conditions such as road congestion and ongoing roadworks. First Bus Following the introduction of the latest timetabling in June, the operator has achieved a 13.5% improvement this year across over 60 routes in Greater Glasgow and Lanarkshire. Some services have seen notable increases, including the East Kilbride to Clydebank service 6 with 23.1% increase in reliability, service X11 from Buchanan Bus Station with 25.9%, service 4 with 27.5% and service 4a which achieved the most impressive boost of 32.8%. By achieving an increase in reliability of service, First Bus hopes to encourage more people to use the bus and embrace sustainable travel. First Bus as a business is committed to achieving a fully zero-emission bus fleet by 2035 and wants to offer Glasgow commuters the opportunity to choose a greener way to travel, that will also get them where they need to go on time While the investment has proved to be effective, it underscores a broader issue facing public transport in Glasgow. The £3 million spent to combat congestion is money that could have been used to expand the network, introduce new routes, or reduce fares for customers. This highlights the urgent need for more comprehensive bus priority measures within the city to ensure that resources can be directed towards further enhancing the public transport system rather than merely maintaining it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Duncan Cameron, Managing Director of First Bus Scotland, commented: 'The results speak for themselves. Our buses are now more reliable and timely, providing our customers with a service they can depend on. We're proud to say that these changes mark a significant improvement in our Glasgow services, something we will continue to build on as we look to embrace more modern technology. 'Our aim is always to improve our services and provide the best possible experience for our passengers. It is vital more people start to consider bus as an attractive, sustainable travel option and we hope these results go some way to achieving that. However, the lack of sufficient bus priority measures forces us to allocate significant funds just to maintain reliability amidst increasing congestion. 'With better support from city infrastructure, we could invest more in expanding our network or lowering fares, making bus travel even more accessible and affordable.'
Glasgow Times
23-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
AI-powered timetables improve Glasgow bus services
The group said the investment in new timetables—powered by AI-driven software—has boosted punctuality by 13.5 per cent across more than 60 routes in Greater Glasgow and Lanarkshire. The software creates more accurate and reliable schedules by factoring in real-life conditions such as traffic congestion and roadworks. Read more: Commonwealth Games 2026 mascot Finnie revealed - but people are confused Duncan Cameron, managing director of First Bus Scotland, said: "The results speak for themselves. "Our buses are now more reliable and timely, providing our customers with a service they can depend on. "We're proud to say that these changes mark a significant improvement in our Glasgow services, something we will continue to build on as we look to embrace more modern technology." The company aims to operate a fully zero-emission fleet by 2035 and believes improved reliability will help encourage more people to use the bus. Mr Cameron said: "It is vital more people start to consider bus as an attractive, sustainable travel option and we hope these results go some way to achieving that. "However, the lack of sufficient bus priority measures forces us to allocate significant funds just to maintain reliability amidst increasing congestion. "With better support from city infrastructure, we could invest more in expanding our network or lowering fares, making bus travel even more accessible and affordable." The company believes the £3 million investment highlights a broader challenge—congestion. Without improved bus priority measures, First Bus argues that money is being spent on maintaining reliability rather than growing the network or reducing fares. The most improved routes include the East Kilbride to Clydebank service 6, which saw a 23.1 per cent rise in punctuality. Other notable gains include service X11 from Buchanan Bus Station at 25.9 per cent, service 4 at 27.5 per cent, and service 4a, which saw the highest improvement at 32.8 per cent.
Scottish Sun
18-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Major Glasgow bus service set to be axed in huge blow to commuters
Passengers are advised to use the alternative services available STOP THE BUS Major Glasgow bus service set to be axed in huge blow to commuters Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COMMUTERS in Glasgow have been dealt a major blow after plans to axe a major bus service was confirmed. The First Bus service will be scrapped from Sunday, July 13. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 First Bus said the difficult decision was down to "insufficient passenger demand" Credit: John Kirkby The travel firm announced it had made the "difficult decision" to scrap the 65 bus service after a 12-month period where it "consistently had insufficient passenger demand". It said that the 65 bus, which travels between Glasgow City Centre and Halfway in Cambuslang, was no longer sustainable. Passengers are advised to use the alternative services available. Chris Coleman, Head of Network at First Bus Scotland, said: 'Removing a route from service is never an easy decision, nor is it one we take lightly. 'Sadly, service 65 is no longer viable due to low passenger demand on the route. For passengers who currently use service 65, there are a number of alternative services available for them to use to get to their end destination. 'Details of these can be found on our website.' Instead, First Bus is reinvesting the funds into increasing the frequency of other services and improving timetables across Greater Glasgow. The company has invested more than £3m in bus, driver and timetable resources since April. This should improve the reliability of services. More than 30 per cent of their routes are said to be experiencing improved reliability already. Moment man swearing on bus is put in his place by fellow passenger First Bus said this will "hugely benefit" more than 63 million journeys in Glasgow annually. Elsewhere, Scots holidaymakers will now be able to travel directly to and from the UK's busiest airport as a brand new transport link launches.
The Herald Scotland
22-04-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Bus journey times improve as year-long roadworks come to end
First Bus service 57 operates between Silverburn Shopping Centre and Auchinairn, while service 57A runs between Balornock East and Kennishead. READ MORE: New bus route to connect four Scottish cities with Glasgow Airport Mark Smith: The new motorway that Scotland doesn't need CCTV image released after incident on board Glasgow train Linda Shields, Operations Director for First Bus Scotland, said: 'The roadworks at Thornliebank Road have caused significant disruption to our services 57 and 57A over the last 12 months and have led to much longer journey times for our customers. 'We're delighted these roadworks have now been completed and our services will be returning to their normal route from tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. "Not only will it make our journeys on these services quicker, it will also mean they are more reliable for customers too.'
