First Bus boss blames lack of drivers for axing Glasgow weekend night time services
Commercial Director Graeme McFarlan has been speaking exclusively with us about their decision.
Last updated 13th Jul 2023
Bosses at First Bus in Glasgow are blaming a shortage of drivers as their main reason for cancelling weekend night time services across the city at the end of the month.
Earlier this week, they announced they would be scrapping 11 different routes running in the early hours of the morning.
READ MORE: First Glasgow announces night bus service is being withdrawn
Speaking exclusively to Clyde 1, Commercial Director Graeme McFarlan said: "Around 1,200 passengers are using these services every weekend which is really quite small.
"We have not had the level of engagement that we require and now we must redeploy the drivers elsewhere to make sure our other services continue to run well."
A societal problem
The news has been met with backlash from Holyrood Ministers, the city council, women's safety groups and trade unions.
Graeme added: "I don't think it is solely down to us to make sure everyone has a safe way to get around - it is a societal problem.
"We have been trying to come up with ways around this by working with city stakeholders and we remain open to exploring other solutions, but right now these services are not viable."
READ MORE: Calls to nationalise buses in Glasgow as weekend routes are cut
Low passenger numbers
First Bus will still be operating routes all over the city well into the evening and up to midnight.
The Commercial Director is keen to stress the decision to scrap the service is a last resort.
He said: "We are not doing this flippantly and we have given it as much of a chance to work as possible.
"We have plenty of vehicles, but simply do not have the drivers and by changing the routes we can have five or six different staff members who will be able to work the following day."
Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.