£2 bus fare cap needs to reach all of Scotland
Reacting to the First Minister's announcement at SNP Conference in Aberdeen that the £2 bus fare cap would be extended to the North East, the Scottish Greens have called for the cap to cover the whole of Scotland as soon as possible.
The cap was first secured for bus users in the Highlands and Islands as a result of Green budget negotiations. It had recently been extended to cover Strathclyde.
The party has also welcomed plans to bring buses into public ownership, and will work constructively with the Scottish Government to deliver on it.
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said:
“This is a welcome step, but rolling out the cap on bus fares one region at a time isn't good enough for the families and workers who are being punished by the cost of living crisis and extortionate bus fares.
“From January, the whole of England will have a £2 bus fare cap but the Scottish Government are letting Scotland fall behind and leaving commuters to spend excessive amounts on bus fares.
“The Greens have long called for a nationwide £2 bus fare cap, and we're delighted that we have been able to deliver that cap to Strathclyde and the Highlands and Islands, saving people money every day.
“The SNP need to move faster on this to help keep money in families' pockets. We've seen the impact of cheap public transport with the free bus travel for young people delivered by Greens, it's good for people and planet.”
Gillian added:
“I'm delighted that the First Minister has finally listened to Green calls for our bus network to come back into public hands, and franchising is an important step on that journey.
“Bus privatisation has failed. We will work constructively to turn his pledge into a reality and build a public transport system that is affordable, accessible and available to everyone.
“Public transport, particularly buses, have become far too expensive and unreliable for far too many in Scotland.
"By making fares cheaper and bringing buses back into public control we can ensure our public transport network works in the interests of local communities not shareholder profits.”