By MICHAEL SETTLE CHIEF UK POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE SNP's Holyrood victory was bankrolled by its largest campaign fund made up of public money and private cash donations totalling just in over GBP1m, the Electoral Commission revealed yesterday.

SCOTTISH Tory leader Annabel Goldie yesterday called for American- style yellow school buses, arguing that they would cut rush hour traffic, improve road safety and slash greenhouse gas emissions. The number of youngsters taken to school by car has increased by 250 per cent in 20 years.

TRANSPORT dominated much of the campaigning yesterday. The SNP promised pounds 300million to upgrade rail services, while the SSP promoted their pounds 1billion plan to introduce free public transport. The Tories, meanwhile, promised not to introduce road tolls.

By DOUGLAS FRASER SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR AN eight-minute, 300mph rail journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh is being considered by Tory transport planners.

By Leader SCOTLAND has a new political party - The Scottish Democrats - which aims to provide a home for centre-right voters disgruntled with the present, lacklustre Scottish Tories. It will be formally launched next month.