Major shakeup across Scots bus services revealed

FIVE bus companies across Scotland have announced they will no longer be printing tickets for concession passengers from Monday February 20 in a major shakeup.

First Bus, McGill’s, Stagecoach, West Coast Motors and JMB Travel will all start logging journeys digitally for concession card holders, and customers will no longer receive a receipt.

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Bosses say this move will save up to 220 minutes on bus routes across Scotland daily.

The change will also reduce paper waste and help the environment.

Punters will still be able to use their National Entitlement Cards in the normal way, but it will all be logged through the new software being installed across the bus network.

Commuters are still required to tell the bus driver their destination, so that the information can be recorded accurately.

The bus operators believe saving a few seconds at each stop through the change will speed up waiting times for passengers.

Graeme Macfarlan, Commercial Director for First Bus Scotland, said: “The move towards removing paper receipts for concession journeys is one we have been wanting to make for some time.

“On our services alone, over 850,000 small pieces of paper are printed for receipts in Glasgow and Aberdeen each week that we have felt are unnecessary when the customer already holds a physical concessionary card.

“These paper receipts are unable to be recycled and therefore, making these small changes, can have a much larger impact in helping us improve journey times and reduce waste.”

Colin Napier, McGill’s Group Service Delivery Director, said: “This small change of removing paper receipts for concessionary passengers will have a really positive impact for all bus users.

“Not only will it make boarding quicker and reduce delays on our services, it’s also better for the environment which is a top priority for McGill’s Bus Group.

“Thanks to innovative improvements to our technology we will save hours of inefficiently sitting stationary at bus stops on our busiest routes by not printing concession receipts.

“We want to make our services as efficient as possible which is why we’re excited to roll this out across our entire network.”

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