‘Serious concerns’ over the air pollution implications of buses illegally using bus stops as ranks have been raised by Glasgow’s transport authority.
The Scottish Executive has released figures showing penalty charge notices handed out across the country for engine-idling offences, which revealed that the city council gave 20 fines to bus operators in the four months up to March.
The city council, which refused to name operators of the buses fined, also handed out tickets to 11 cars, four vans and two taxis.
The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport pointed to the 2,000 people who die each year as a direct result of vehicle pollution in Scotland – almost six times the number of those who are killed in road accidents – and highlighted how Glasgow was one of the worst areas.
A spokesman for the SPT said: ‘The amount of penalty charge notices handed out highlights the problem of a deregulated bus service. There is now a lot of competition for passengers and, as a result, drivers are illegally ranking in some of the busier streets of the city.’
He highlighted the problem as being particular to certain city centre roads, such as Union Street, where buses illegally wait for passengers instead of driving past empty stops. He added: ‘Not only does this add to congestion on already-busy routes but it also adds to pollution. We think the approach taken by the council is sensible since, if a driver is not breaking the law, they will not be punished.’
A spokeswoman for Glasgow council said the authority was cracking down on drivers who left their engines running in a bid to cut pollution, but said they would not comment on figures for the PCNs, which they submitted to the Scottish Executive.