40th Anniversary of Lothian Regional Transport plc

Summary

That this House celebrates the 40th anniversary of Lothian Regional Transport plc, now known as Lothian Buses; notes its position as the UK's largest municipal bus company; commends the foresight of then Lothian Region, which established Lothian Regional Transport plc following the Transport Act 1985 which mandated that bus operators be run as commercial entities; acknowledges the efforts of the Lothian Region administration and trade unions for resisting a management buyout in 1992, ensuring that Lothian Buses was the only major publicly owned bus company in Scotland; believes that deregulation and privatisation of bus services has failed on its own terms; applauds the continued municipal ownership model in the Lothians; understands that this ensures profits are reinvested into new routes, low ticket prices and fleet improvements; further notes the crucial roles that it believes public transport has in addressing carbon emissions and growing local economies; congratulates Lothian Buses on once again being named Bus Operator of the Year for 2026 at the National Transport Awards; and further believes that all the seats on Lothian Buses are the best seat on the bus.

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Timeline

1. 12 October 2026

   Early Day Motion

   That this House celebrates the 40th anniversary of Lothian Regional Transport plc, now known as Lothian Buses; notes its position as the UK's largest municipal bus company; commends the foresight of then Lothian Region, which established Lothian Regional Transport plc following the Transport Act 1985 which mandated that bus operators be run as commercial entities; acknowledges the efforts of the Lothian Region administration and trade unions for resisting a management buyout in 1992, ensuring that Lothian Buses was the only major publicly owned bus company in Scotland; believes that deregulation and privatisation of bus services has failed on its own terms; applauds the continued municipal ownership model in the Lothians; understands that this ensures profits are reinvested into new routes, low ticket prices and fleet improvements; further notes the crucial roles that it believes public transport has in addressing carbon emissions and growing local economies; congratulates Lothian Buses on once again being named Bus Operator of the Year for 2026 at the National Transport Awards; and further believes that all the seats on Lothian Buses are the best seat on the bus.

   Source: Early Day Motion

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Sponsors

• Scott Arthur · Labour · Primary sponsor

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