Humza Yousaf says the BBC refused his offer to be interviewed on bus services

The BBC Scotland breakfast radio show reported the results of a survey into bus transport, which found "widespread dissatisfaction of local bus services".

Presenter Hayler Millar said: "We asked to speak to Scotland's Transport Minister Humza Yousaf this morning but were told he would be travelling."

Instead, they were joined by Labour's shadow transport secretary, Colin Smyth.

However, Yousaf hit back on Twitter, saying that he had offered to be interviewed via Skype – as he had done successfully in the past.

I offered to go on GMS. I am on a train so offered to do it via Skype using onboard wifi, something I have done on interviews before v successfully but BBC declined. https://t.co/ZqUdMem2n1

— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 7, 2018

The argument from Labour that somehow bus patronage decline started with the SNP is vacuous - bus patronage has been declining since 1960 across the UK.

Wholesale re-regulation not panacea. Steepest decline in patronge was in 60s/70s - while buses were regulated

— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 7, 2018

But something must be done. We'll introduce Transport Bill - will give local authorities the power to intro local franchising & council owned bus companies (Lab never allowed either) amongst other things.

Tackling urban congestion also vital - see Glasgow Connectivity Commission

— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 7, 2018

While Labour snipe from the sidelines and did nothing while in power, I'll be proud to introduce to Parliament a Bill that will bring forward the most radical measures to tackle patronage decline for a decade.

— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 7, 2018

Asked to comment, a BBC spokesman said: "The Minister was not available to speak to us at our preferred time from a studio or on ISDN, as he was travelling. He was then offered two earlier slots but these were also declined. We were told that Mr Yousaf could speak to us at 08.25, via Skype from a train, using Scotrail’s on-board wifi.

"However this was not a suitable arrangement, as it would be an unsatisfactory listening experience for our audience. With the danger of line drop out, there was a risk the minister may not have been able to complete all of his answers. The item included a statement from Transport Scotland and their position was reflected in our coverage of the story. It is important that our items are produced with audio of a sufficiently high quality to meet audience expectations.

"To our knowledge, speaking to a government minister via Skype from a train is not something Good Morning Scotland has agreed to in the past. Last week, we did speak to Mr Yousaf on the phone, but that was in relation to the weather, which was a breaking story of the highest priority in terms of public information."