How bus services are provided
Bus services in the Highland Council area are provided in two main ways - commercial services and tendered services.
Commercial Services
These are run independently by bus companies. The operators choose the routes and timetables, and we do not fund or manage them. All commercial services are registered with the Scottish Traffic Commissioner.
Examples of commercial services include:
- most long-distance routes (for example, all Scottish Citylink services)
- all Inverness city routes
- most services between Easter Ross, Dingwall, the Black Isle, and Inverness
- some services in Caithness
Tendered Services
Where no commercial services exist - or where additional services are needed - we can contract bus companies to operate specific routes. These are known as tendered services. We set the routes and timetables and pay for the service.
Examples of tendered services include:
- all services in Badenoch and Strathspey (except Scottish Citylink)
- all services in Lochaber (except Scottish Citylink)
- most services in Skye (excluding Scottish Citylink, summer-only routes, and Portree town service)
- most services in Wester Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness
- some rural routes around Inverness
Some routes are operated directly by us.
Suggestions, comments and complaints
For tendered services, contact our Public Transport Team. We can follow up with the operator and may adjust services if needed.
For commercial services contact the bus operator directly. You can also inform our Public Transport Team, who may raise the issue with the operator, although we cannot enforce changes.
If you are not sure if a service is commercial or tendered, our team can help clarify.