Plans to Withdraw the X1 Hamilton Bus Service

That the Parliament strongly disagrees with the decision by First Glasgow to withdraw the X1 express service between Hamilton and Glasgow; understands that the service will be cancelled from 27 October 2019; considers this to be a decision that has ignored the needs of people in Hamilton and is disappointed about what it sees as the lack of consultation with elected representatives and the public; believes this to be a consequence of the deregulation of bus services, with decisions being made in the interests of profit rather than for the benefit of communities; wishes to know if an equality impact assessment has been carried out in advance of this decision being taken; congratulates Hamilton resident, Rebecca Creechan, for launching a petition on change.org calling on the company not to scrap the X1 Hamilton-Glasgow service; believes that bringing buses back into public ownership would ensure that vital services, such as the X1, are no longer put at risk, and calls on First Glasgow, which is the largest bus operator in Scotland, to halt this decision immediately and engage in meaningful consultation with staff, customers and elected representatives.