Plans for a council to set up its own bus firm are “still on the table”, according to its transport spokesman.

Ambitious plans to bring back corporation buses to the streets of Aberdeen were revealed earlier this year.

The move – which was a central policy of the Aberdeen Labour Group – could see a council-run fleet brought back for the first time since Grampian Buses was privatised as part of a management buyout in 1989.

Transport spokesman Councillor Ross Grant said the move remains “on the table” and has not been abandoned despite the local authority lacking the necessary powers.

He said: “There is a will from the council and it has been agreed within the vision document.

“We need to have all the options that we would like to consider on the table because local authorities don’t have some of those powers yet.

“The Transport Minister has previously indicated giving local authorities some powers around alternative options.

“It would be for local authorities to determine which of these options they would like to consider.”

Cllr Grant said the council has written to Transport Minister Humza Yousaf to get clarity on the scope of the bill.

Earlier this year, councillors considered a report on the options available to them for the operation of bus services.

The report states the Scottish Government is currently preparing a Transport Bill aimed at tackling declining bus patronage across the country, which is currently being consulted on.

The Scottish Government is proposing to consult on a number of measures, including local franchising, and is seeking to make clear that local authorities could create a similar model to Lothian Buses in Edinburgh, in setting up their own arms-length bus operations.