Bus garage, Rossie Island

Image: © Richard Webb Taken: 21 Sep 2009

Strathtay was one of the companies formed when the nationalised SMT was broken up during the 1980s kleptocracy. Passengers eventually saw little benefit, although a few independent companies have survived, most bus routes are now in the hands of one of three fare ramping big companies with a global reach. A great success for British industry, but bad news for most of the bus travelling market. At the time of posting there were three main groupings: Stagecoach (here), Arriva, and Aberdeen based First Group. Where, like where I live there is still "competition", things are still idiotic. "Worst" run their remaining buses just before Lothian trying to grab all the passengers; buses are not spread through the day but really do all come at once. However there are not so many First Group buses anymore. One of their more endearing habits is axing services. They do this on an epic scale, an international operator: First have just taken the whole of Manitoba and Western Ontario off the Greyhound network.

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