Bill Miller MEP: "Essential part of the public transport service"

Euro MPs are drawing up legislation which recommends that public service contracts for passenger travel by rail, by road and by sea, should be put out to tender if they receive government subsidies.

This means ferry routes operated by Caledonian MacBrayne are to be opened up to competition despite the reluctance of the Scottish Executive.

Mr Reed said this could result in a "Railtrack-type" break-up of Glasgow Underground.

He said: "The worst case scenario we will end up separating the running of the trains from the running of the track and the tunnels.

Prepare for tender

"We don't think makes sense in view of the size of this operation. It will gives us a less flexible way of running the underground.

"At the end of the day the passenger will end up getting a worse service and probably end up having to pay more for it."

Mr Reid said fares would have to increase because �10m would need to be spent on the service to prepare for tender.

Instead of such a course of action, he called for the money to be used to improve the existing service.

We have to protect our local public transport because it is important to people's lives.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP Elspeth Attwooll

Scottish MEPs have tabled a motion calling for the underground in Glasgow to be exempt from any privatisation moves.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP Elspeth Attwooll said she would be fighting the plans.

She said: "Of course, we will be fighting it and I don't think I'll be the only Scottish MEP fighting that one.

"We have to protect our local public transport because it is important to people's lives.

Out to tender

"We can't afford to leave the cars clogging up the roads, so we have to safeguard our public service contracts for transport."

Scottish Labour MEP Bill Miller said he supported the principle of putting public services out to tender but there should be protection.

He said: "Where public money is used to help run a service, the European Union says that service should be open for tender every so often.

"In Glasgow it is a essential part of the public transport service. What we are saying is that in these instances, where it is so small, to put them out to public tender would actually ruin them and we would end up with no service at all."