The film set has taken over Glasgow’s Bothwell Street as final preparations are made for filming, with US-style signage, Gotham Police Swat vehicles and themed hot dog stands.
And eagle-eyed movie buffs have also spotted a detailed bus timetable sign for the Gotham Transit Authority – the fictional public corporation responsible for managing public transportation – including buses, trains, and the Gotham City Subway in Gotham City.
Among them was Paul Shaw, treasurer for Get Glasgow Moving, a grassroots public transport group which campaigns for a ‘world-class, fully integrated, accessible, publicly owned, and accountable transport network’ across the Glasgow city region.
Glasgow’s Bothwell Street has been transformed as final preparations are made for filming of The Batman: Part II (Image: PA)
He shared a photo of the timetable on X with the caption: “Night buses and turn-up-and-go services, Gotham’s got better buses than Glasgow”.
Mr Shaw, who also coordinates the Better Buses for Strathclyde campaign, which launched in September 2023 with the aim of bringing bus services in the Strathclyde region back into public hands, said the timetable for Batman’s fictional home serves to illustrate just how “really subpar” the current provision of night buses in Glasgow is.
Paul Shaw, treasurer for Get Glasgow Moving (Image: Supplied)
He told The Herald: “Night buses only run on a Friday and Saturday and there are only about 10 services in total. I saw the clip of Glasgow being transformed into Gotham for the filming of the new Batman scrolling through social media and spotted that it had a bus timetable in the background showing that Gotham had bus services that ran every six minutes from early in the morning and 24 hours a day.
“It seems like the Caped Crusader can leave the Batmobile at home if he wants to go out for an evening in Gotham and not need to be checking his Batwatch every five minutes to make sure he doesn’t miss the last bus.”
Night buses and turn-uo-and-go services? Gotham’s got better buses than Glasgow. https://t.co/fgZlj4f9UR
— Paul Shaw (@PaulShaww) August 19, 2026
He added: “Back in the real world, people rely on Glasgow’s night buses to get them home after a late night and it’s not just people who are out socialising, hospitality workers also use night buses to get home. That is a sector that’s predominantly staffed by women, usually young women, and it’s important that they are able to get home safely after a shift. In Glasgow, we don’t have a Dark Knight roaming the streets to keep people out of trouble.
“The high cost of fares mean late night workers can be effectively working the last half hour of their shift for free. It also hampers the nighttime economy as people may go home earlier than they’d like to avoid getting stuck or paying a taxi fare.
The area on or near Bothwell Street in Glasgow City centre as crews make final preparations for the filming of The Batman: Part II (Image: Danyel VanReenen/PA Wire)
“This is why Better Buses for Strathclyde are calling for the Scottish Government to support SPT to speed up the implementation of bus franchising by simplifying the regulations and providing funding so that SPT can provide a comprehensive bus network, including improved night bus services. The current process means we won’t see a franchised bus on the streets of Glasgow until 2031 which would be 12 years after the Transport Act was passed.
“Sadly, bus services (including nighttime routes) are not meeting the needs of communities all across Scotland. This is why Better Buses for Strathclyde, alongside other organisations, will be at the Scotland Demands Better Buses Rally outside the Scottish Parliament at 1 pm on the 2nd September to focus the minds of the parliamentarians to get bus franchising done in Strathclyde so that other regions of the country can follow.”
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Glasgow gets Gotham City makeover for The Batman: Part II filming
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In response, a Transport Scotland spokesperson told The Herald: “We are supporting local transport authorities to take forward plans for local bus improvements through franchising and have empowered them to determine what is best to address any transport challenges in their local areas. We are also starting to engage with key stakeholders on our proposed Better Buses legislation, meeting our commitment to start this work within the Parliament’s first 100 days.
“But crucially, we are committed to better, more affordable bus services. Already, children, young people, disabled and older people are benefitting from free bus travel – and ministers are working to extend the £2 bus fare cap to Glasgow and the surrounding areas within the first 100 days of this government.
“Decisions on local bus services, routes and frequencies are for operators to make, but local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can choose to subsidise these.”