The 'bus wars' of the 1990s are threatening to break out again, this time between Stagecoach and FlixBus.
The latter is a relative newcomer to UK transport, having partnered with Scottish company McGill’s to provide regular coach services for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee and Stirling.
The German company is aiming to replicate its success in Europe by building the largest intercity coach network in the UK.
Stagecoach, while not owners of Aberdeen's bus station, do have the mandate to run it.
FlixBus claims that without warning, it was denied any further slots to pick up and drop off passengers, as part of the expansion plans. This means the company's buses are operating from the street, as they cannot have some stops in the station and some outside.
Stagecoach’s managing director for North Scotland, David Beaton, informed FlixBus managing director Andreas Schorling in an email on 24 April, that owing to a recent Health and Safety Assessment, the slots would be withdrawn.
Schorling said: “Stagecoach has an ownership stake in Scottish Citylink, which is a direct competitor to FlixBus and operates some of the lines for them - there is a glaring conflict of interests when it comes to their management of the bus station.”
FlixBus’ legal adviser, Peter Watson of PBW Law, has now intimated by letter to Stagecoach that a formal complaint will be submitted to the Competition and Markets Authority, should the matter not be immediately resolved.
He out that the health and safety assessment documentation has never been provided, stating: “Stagecoach and its associated company Citylink are in a dominant position insofar as the operation of the Aberdeen bus station.
“Our clients’ inability to provide further services for which there is demand has the effect of restricting competition and frustrating customer demand,“ Watson continued, adding: “Our client has suffered loss and will continue to suffer loss as a direct result of Stagecoach’s actions.”
Schorling also said: “We will be informing Scottish Transport Minister Kevin Stewart of our actions.
“As he is the local MSP, we are certain he will also appreciate the appalling manner in which our passengers are being treated in Aberdeen by Stagecoach.”
McGill’s chief executive Ralph Roberts, who is also president of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, added: “We cannot see a return to the days where a city is being treated as a personal fiefdom - we fully support the government in their green initiatives, and we all want to see more people choosing to travel by bus.”
A spokesperson for Stagecoach responded that the company “rejects the inaccurate statements“ made by FlixBus, which do not reflect what is a safety and capacity issue.
“We have been in discussions with FlixBus since early March on their proposals for the summer season.
“It is untrue that Flixbus would have slots withdrawn - bus stations do have limits on capacity and there are important safety concerns that need to be addressed - there is an existing dispute resolution process which is available to FlixBus.“
As the manager of the bus station, Stagecoach stated that it has a responsibility to ensure that customers, staff and vehicles can move safely and effectively.
“This means that we must monitor the capacity of the station and consider the impact on safety and traffic congestion when evaluating requests for additional departures,“ the response continued, adding: “We recognise the duty to manage the relationship with all third-party operators in a fair manner and we reject the suggestions of anti-competitive intent.“
Stagecoach concluded that its representatives have endeavoured to have a constructive dialogue with FlixBus at all stages, including detailed discussions about how proposed journeys could be safely accommodated within the bus station.
“We have suggested amendments to their proposed schedules to facilitate easier access to bus stands and we remain open to further discussions with FlixBus to address their concerns.“
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