SNP ministers do not know how much flagship bus pledge will cost

Alison Irvine, the chief executive of Transport Scotland, said it was not currently possible to attach even a ballpark figure to the policy.

Her comments were described as "quite shocking" during a meeting of Holyrood’s transport committee, which is scrutinising the plans.

It came as the Confederation of Passenger Transport said the chances of the vow actually being delivered by 2031 were “slim to none”.

Mr Swinney pledged to bring the bus network back under public control during his speech to the SNP conference in Aberdeen last month.

He said this would be achieved through franchising and regulation.

READ MORE: John Swinney urged to provide clarity on flagship pledge to bring buses under 'public control'

McGill's, the largest independent bus operator in Scotland, condemned the plan as “theft” and compared Mr Swinney to dictators Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe.

During Wednesday’s committee meeting, Reform MSP Graham Simpson repeatedly pushed for clarity on what was meant by “public control”.

Ms Irvine said it can mean “a range of things”, adding: “Ultimately, our job is to bring that clarity. That’s what we are seeking to do.”

She said officials need to test “what the different ambition is for public control in parts of the country”.

Asked whether Transport Scotland had a ballpark figure for the set-up costs of franchising, Ms Irvine said: "Not at this point."

She said: "At the moment we have an understanding of what the concessionary fare scheme is likely to cost us, we've got an understanding of what a £2 bus fare cap is likely to cost us.

"We are aware that there will be additional costs associated with setting up franchise models, but until such time as we've been able to work through that with the constituent local transport authorities, it's not been possible to put a cost on that."

Green MSP Iris Duane, who asked the question, described this response as "quite shocking".

Scottish Tory transport spokesman Tim Eagle said it was “further proof that John Swinney is leading a government that chases headlines first and thinks about the detail later”.

Asked whether the government is planning to purchase depots or buses, Ms Irvine said: "I would say that that is a level of detail that at this stage in our thinking is inappropriate for us to have worked through."

Jamie Ross, chief executive of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, which is pursuing its own franchising plans, said it had calculated annual costs of between £45 and £85 million.

“In terms of the capital requirement to buy depots and buses, that’s one of the things we need to assess, because it depends what model you go for,” he told MSPs.

Mr Ross said the cost “would run into hundreds of millions if we were owning everything, which is the model the English regional authorities have tended to go with”.

Willie Rennie, the committee convener, suggested this was “crazy” in the context of a looming £5 billion black hole in the Scottish Budget.

But Mr Ross said he was “not embarrassed about having a discussion about investing in the most commonly used form of public transport”.

Last month, Mr Swinney announced a further expansion of the £2 bus fare rollout to Aberdeen and the north east. Bus fares have previously been capped at £2 in the Highlands and islands and the west of Scotland.

Ms Irvine said rolling out the cap nationwide will cost around £400 million.