2026 Election Candidate Answers Part 3: Transport

Questions acknowledged, but no answers provided to date.

From Paul Steele, Glasgow Region list candidate.

Regarding better public transport, both my party and I fully support advancing public ownership and integration of the bus network. We support all necessary investment to create an accessible and affordable transport system.

No acknowledgement of questions, and no response provided.

From Audrey Dempsey, Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn constituency and Glasgow Region list candidate.

Dennistoun should be one of the best-connected parts of Glasgow but right now, too many people are struggling with unreliable, expensive, or poorly joined-up services.
This is about getting the basics right.
Locally:
– Improve bus reliability and frequency, especially for shift workers and families.
– Ensure safer streets better lighting, maintenance, and common-sense road design.
– Fix the small things people notice daily and incite unnecessary costs through such as potholes, crossings, accessibility.
Regionally:
– Push for integrated ticketing one ticket, across bus, rail, and subway. It’s long overdue.
– Improve links between communities, not just routes into the city centre.
Nationally:
– Demand fair funding for Glasgow’s transport infrastructure.
– Stop fragmented decision making . transport needs joined up , not layers of confusion.
– Focus investment on what people actually use daily, not vanity projects.
Affordable, reliable transport isn’t a luxury it’s what allows people to get to work, education, and opportunities.
For me personally, we really need to go back to basics. The spending plans are far too distorted to make sense of in our government i.e we can spend millions on ad campaigns about unnecessary ideologies whilst roads crumble beneath our feet. We have to start focusing on the everyday necessities that affect people’s lives and their ability to meet basic daily needs before we consider any far out vanity issues. Common sense approach is what we lack and for this constituency it is what I intend to restore.

No acknowledgement of questions, and no response provided.

No acknowledgement of questions, and no response provided.

From Josephine MacLeod, Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn constituency and Glasgow Region list candidate.

Improving transport connectivity is key to economic growth and quality of life. Locally, we need more reliable and frequent services, alongside safer infrastructure. Regionally and nationally, I would support investment in integrated transport networks, better coordination between services, and policies that keep transport affordable. Effective transport links are essential to connecting people to jobs, education, and services in Glasgow.
Overall, my approach is focused on practical, deliverable solutions that improve daily life supporting local services, strengthening communities, and creating opportunities.
Thank you again for the opportunity to contribute. I would be happy to engage further with the Community Council.

From Andrew John Brady, Glasgow Region list candidate.

The Scottish Family Party recognizes that for a community like Dennistoun to thrive, transport must be affordable, practical, and free from restrictive state overreach. Our policies prioritize the needs of families and workers by ensuring mobility remains accessible to all, regardless of income.
Affordability for Families: To improve the affordability of connectivity, we would prioritize the following national and regional policies:
Free Fares for Children: We would encourage all public transport providers to eliminate fares for accompanied children. This ensures that families can travel within Glasgow and beyond without a significant financial penalty.
Council Tax Discounts: Our policy to provide a 25% Council Tax discount per child would leave more money in the pockets of Dennistoun residents to cover their commuting and travel costs.
Fuel and Energy Costs: We advocate for energy self-sufficiency and the use of our own oil and gas resources to keep the cost of fuel and electricity affordable for both public transport and private car users.
Protecting Practical Mobility: In densely populated areas like Glasgow, the Scottish Family Party opposes policies that we believe unfairly penalize the poor or restrict freedom of movement:
Opposing LEZs and Restrictions: We believe Low Emission Zones (LEZs) hit the poorest hardest by effectively banning older, more affordable vehicles. We would also oppose the drive for ever-lower speed limits and artificial restrictions on car use in cities.
Challenging “20-Minute Neighbourhoods”: We oppose any scheme designed to restrict, ration, or regulate journeys between neighborhoods. We believe residents should be free to travel across the city without being monitored or inhibited by planning schemes that focus on discouraging car use rather than improving local services.
Car Ownership: We will protect the right to affordable car ownership. Cars provide essential independence and flexibility for families that public transport cannot always replicate. We would rescind deadlines for banning the sale of non-electric cars, as the current technology and infrastructure are not yet adequate for many owners.
Improving Infrastructure: Nationally and regionally, we would focus on the following to improve the quality of connectivity:
Rail Reliability: Improving the reliability of our rail network is a priority to ensure it serves as a viable option for commuters.
Safe Cycleways: We support the extension of safe cycleways by further integrating them into pavement areas where possible, ensuring they do not unnecessarily disrupt road traffic.
River Transport: We would explore the potential for utilizing Scotland’s waterways, such as the Clyde, for river transport to provide alternative routes within Glasgow.
Accountability and Local Power: We believe connectivity fails when local government is not accountable to its citizens.
We advocate for:
Accountable Council Leaders: The Council Leader in Glasgow should be a well-known public figure, held personally accountable for the state of local transport and infrastructure through regular, televised “town hall meetings.”
Decentralisation: We support giving communities more power to shape their future and ensuring that transport decisions are made closer to the people they affect, rather than being dictated by Holyrood.
A healthy, mobile nation requires a growing population and strong families.

From Iris Duane, Glasgow Region list candidate.

Scotland could be a world leader in a connected, cheap and climate-friendly public transport system. It’s something us Scottish Greens have been pushing to improve each session. That’s why we scrapped peak rail fares, why we introduced a £2 bus fare cap currently being piloted in the Highlands, and why we rolled out free bus travel for every young person under 22 in the country.
Our intention is to make bus travel free for every person in Scotland by the end of the next parliamentary session. There are of course some problems we want to face. Many communities still feel disconnected, inaccessible or that buses and trains aren’t affordable, even here in a city as big as Glasgow.
Just like hopping on a bus, there are stops along the way to achieve universally free buses. Expanding the current concessions so everyone under 30 can get on the bus for free, rolling out the bus fare cap for others. We also want to bring buses under public control, to regulate costs and routes from providers.
The lack of having one integrated service also is frustrating, especially when worldwide there seems to be connections between transport services across other cities. Scottish Greens want an integrated ticketing system, bringing forward our idea for a ScotCard that can be utilised across all public transport in Scotland and pricing set zonally.
Glasgow’s Green MSPs support the plan to have Bellgrove made accessible, however support this being expanded further in Dennistoun at Alexandra Parade and Duke Street stations too.
Active travel is also important to be supported. Green MSPs want a return to multi-year funding so the Council can plan strategically in investing with plans for a city-wide network that would be joined-up instead of a piece-meal approach, and increase the amount of total transport budget to deliver this for Glasgow also.

From Vonnie Sandlan, Glasgow Central constituency and Glasgow Region list candidate.

Dennistoun should be one of the best-connected areas of Glasgow, but unfortunately the reality does not match that expectation. Issues with reliability, connectivity, accessibility and affordability continue to affect people’s ability to get to work, education, and services. I am fully supportive of the Clyde Metro proposals, and the extension of the train line out to Glasgow Airport. I think it’s absolutely wild that we can get a train from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport, but not from Glasgow Central to Glasgow Airport.
Scottish Labour’s position is that public transport should be a public good, a service that people can rely on, not something that varies depending on where you live. My priorities would be:
Locally:
– Improving the reliability and frequency of bus services;
– Making streets safer for walking, wheeling, and cycling;
– Strengthening connections between different modes of transport.
Across Glasgow:
– Developing a fully integrated public transport system by realising the Clyde Metro;
– Simplifying ticketing so journeys are easier and more affordable;
– Making full use of powers such as bus franchising to bring bus services back under public control to ensure services meet the needs of communities.
Nationally:
– Treating public transport as a core public service;
– Ensuring investment is targeted where connectivity challenges are greatest;
– Delivering a system that is accessible, affordable, and accountable.
Better transport is about more than getting from A to B. It underpins access to jobs, education, social activities and opportunity. At the moment, too many people are dealing with a system that falls short of what they need and this is something that I feel very strongly about. People in Glasgow deserve a public transport system that is integrated, affordable and reliable. I will always fight for this.

From Paul Sweeney, Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn constituency and Glasgow Region list candidate.

I’ve responded in the form of a video blog which you can find on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/zhhTGO2j-4E.

From the Glasgow Liberal Democrats, with Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn constituency, Glasgow Central constituency, and Glasgow Region list candidates.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have put forward plans to revamp local bus services by introducing a franchise model that gives communities control of when and where their buses go, meaning services revolve around the needs of passengers rather than bus company owners. We also want this to be backed by stronger regional transport partnerships.
The next Scottish Government needs to make the most of government-run ScotRail by re-designing services around users’ needs, making rail a convenient, affordable and environmentally-friendly option. We would establishing a commuter-friendly guarantee so that timetable changes don’t scupper their means of getting to work, with new requirements to conduct consultations and impact assessments prior to changes.
We also want to increasing the number of late-night services and exploring options for new night trains, and initiate a nationwide tap-and-go transport system, making it easy to tap on and off different forms of transport using your bank card, capped with a maximum daily spend.
We also need to make it easier for more people to choose walking, cycling and wheeling by investing in active travel and formalising a national approach to e-scooters, e-cargo bikes and similar light electric vehicles to promote safety.

From Ivan McKee, Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn constituency and Glasgow Region list candidate.

Public transport should be affordable, accessible and sustainable. The SNP Scottish Government brought Scotrail back into public ownership to deliver a modernised rail service with improved reliability and long-term investment. We have opened several new stations with more to come. And to make it more affordable, we abolished peak rail fares for good and froze rail fares for 1 year to help people with the cost of living.
The SNP recently introduced free bus travel for under 22s, which, together with the bus pass for people over 60, makes it easier for many people to get to work, college, university or just to stay connected to people. And now we want to do more as we face a cost of living crisis by capping bus fares at £2 per single journey.
For a long time, residents across the city were asking for subway hours to be extended, feeling like they weren’t reflective of modern work practices or how people socialise. The SNP have been working with SPT to extend the subway opening hours and starting in 2027, the Glasgow Subway will be open until 12:30am on a Friday and Saturday and from 6 :30am to 11:30pm on a Sunday.
We are committed to active travel. In 2025-26, the SNP Scottish Government provided £2million to Bikeability Scotland’s cycle training programme, promoting safe and responsible cycling to school children. Additionally, our last budget invested £316million in sustainable travel, low carbon and climate positive activities so people are encouraged to switch to more sustainable modes of transport and promote walking, wheeling and cycling; and we will establish a £2.5million bike repair scheme to enable people to get supported with repair costs up to £75. Locally, I have supported the Avenues Plus programme being built along Duke Street towards the City Centre, making active travel safer and more convenient for people in Dennistoun and beyond.
In Glasgow, if elected as your MSP, I will work with the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Region to develop the next phase of the Clyde Metro. This will help improve public transport in the city and attract economic growth that can be invested back into the city and in communities like Dennistoun, ensuring that all the actions we’re taking to improve transport are modern and sustainable.

From Liam McLaughlan, Glasgow Region list candidate.

Any elected SSP MSPs will bring forward legislation in this Parliamentary term for universal free public transport to combat poverty, pollution & social isolation. Reducing the
financial burden on people commuting to work, socialising with friends or just using some well-earned rest time to explore Scotland and the natural environment it offers.
For too many, public transport to other areas of our city let alone the rest of the country is simply unaffordable!
The privatisation of our public transport network has been an abject failure – and Glasgow lags way behind our contemporaries in cities like Manchester and Liverpool, for example,
who have recently taken steps to implement an affordable, integrated and expanded transport network.
Over-dependence on cars is bad for the planet, bad for our health and air quality, and often causes misery and mental ill health in traffic jams and congestion.
We need an expanded, reliable and publicly owned transport network. One which has real public accountability for the number, route and nature of the services provided through direct
input of the communities that use the service as well as the workers who operate within it – powered by renewable energy to combat climate change and get people out of their cars.
Instead of subsiding privatised, profiteering bus companies like First and Stagecoach, we should invest those sums in a publicly owned transport service free at the point of use.

No acknowledgement of questions, and no response provided.

From Catherine McKernan, Glasgow Region list candidate.

The Workers Party of Britain believes that cheap or free public transport is a matter of working-class economic necessity, not a luxury or an environmental gesture.
Dennistoun is a densely populated, well-located inner-city neighbourhood, and yet connectivity remains inadequate. Bus reliability is poor, cycling infrastructure is fragmented, and the nearest rail connections require an unreliable onward bus journey. This is not acceptable for the largest urban area in Scotland.
Locally, I will prioritise:
– Improved and more frequent bus services on the Alexandra Parade and Duke Street corridors, with real-time passenger information that actually works.
– Safe, continuous cycling routes connecting Dennistoun to the city centre and to Parkhead/Bridgeton — addressing the dangerous gaps in the network that currently deter many residents.
– A proper response to DCC’s well-researched pedestrian safety proposals on Alexandra Parade, which have already been submitted to elected representatives and deserve action, not silence.
Regionally, across Glasgow, I will fight for:
– Full integration of ScotRail, Subway, and bus services under a single ticketing and timetabling authority: ending the fragmented system that imposes a daily financial penalty on working people making multiple short journeys.
– A reinvestment model where revenue from traffic management is directed back into public transport in the communities most affected, including the inner East End.
Nationally, I will use my platform to demand:
– That the Scottish Government presses ahead with bus franchising powers, giving local authorities the ability to specify routes, fares, and frequencies rather than leaving it to commercial operators to abandon unprofitable routes.
– The extension of free bus travel beyond current age and eligibility limits, moving step-by-step toward the WPS goal of universal free public transport, funded through progressive taxation.
– Serious investment in active travel infrastructure, not as a luxury add-on, but as a core transport mode for everyday short urban journeys.
Dennistoun’s transport challenges are Glasgow’s transport challenges. Solving them requires genuine political drive at Holyrood, not tinkering at the margins.

From Elspeth Lynn Kerr, Glasgow Region list candidate.

Decent Transport links are so important for us all. Scotland needs a national bus service that doesn’t operate for profit. A national bus service should be a social enterprise with all money being put back into the maintenance and upkeep of the fleet of buses to keep us moving efficiently, reliably and comfortably and not be lining the pockets of share holders.
At the very least Glasgow needs something similar to what operates in Edinburgh.
Locally we need safer walking and cycling routes so people feel confident travelling without a car. Better lighting, crossings and pavement conditions to make everyday journeys easier for everyone. For people with mobility needs we need more dipped curbs, without people parking in front of them, and the pavements to be smooth and well maintained.
Regionally I would advocate for making it simpler to move between buses, trains and the subway, with joined‑up timetables and more affordable combined tickets. Improving rail services on the lines that run right across and around Glasgow. I think we need to make sure regional transport planning reflects the needs of inner‑city communities, not just commuters.
Nationally I would advocate for ensuring cities like Glasgow receive the investment they need for modern, affordable public transport. Support national policies that make public transport and active travel safer, greener and more accessible. Look at ways to give local authorities stronger tools to plan and manage transport in their areas. Ultimately, as I said earlier, nationalising transport across Scotland to take this barrier away so people can get about to work and also make Scotland accessible so people can see its beauty and heritage.
These are the kinds of actions I believe would make a real difference to mobility and opportunity in Glasgow.

From Craig Houston, Glasgow Region list candidate.

I believe honesty is a commodity missing in politics. I see many unable to say “I don’t know” when asked a question and they inevitably waffle a load of words that they think people want to hear. I don’t have the answers to this but I know it’s a problem. Our roads and barriers against motorists are well known and the alternatives on offer are simply not good enough. People without cars are even more affected by poor transport options. If elected, I would ask communities what they need and listen. Scot Gov and GCC have failed our people miserably and we must find answers quickly to allow our residents and businesses to both flourish.