There is a “case to be made” to nationalise bus services in Scotland, John Swinney has said.

The First Minister made the comments after announcing on Tuesday that bus fares in Glasgow and the west of Scotland will be capped at £2 for single journeys from Monday.

Mr Swinney did not say when the cap would be extended to the rest of Scotland, with the SNP election manifesto having pledged to cut the cost of bus travel to £2 per single fare for every journey in the country by the end of this parliamentary term.

The SNP leader announced the move for Glasgow and the west of Scotland as he outlined his Programme for Government, which sets out his priorities and plans for the Government, in Holyrood this week.

Head and shoulders photo of John Swinney talking
First Minister John Swinney said the issue of nationalising bus services is ‘very much in my mind’ (Jane Barlow/PA)

When asked by the Press Association on Thursday about nationalising bus services, Mr Swinney said: “There is a case to be made for that, and it’s an issue that’s very much in my mind because of the level of public contribution that the Government is making to bus services, and the range of provision the Government supports for the bus services for those over the age of 60, for those under the age of 22. We’ve now got a bus fare cap, which the Government is supporting financially.

“There’s an issue and an approach to be examined here. Of course, we have examples in Scotland of bus services that are run in public ownership, such as Lothian Buses, which is a very effective and high-quality bus service.”

Mr Swinney could not confirm when any proposal to nationalise services may be taken forward, as he said the Government is currently working on the Better Buses legislation which aims to improve service reliability, local accountability, and affordability across the country.

As part of the Better Buses plans, ministers announced in August that £55 million would be invested in bus infrastructure.

Mr Swinney continued: “We’ve obviously got the Better Buses legislation that’s been worked on just now, and these are very active issues that the Government will consider as part of the work that we’re taking forward to ensure we have effective transport services across the country.”