Greens call for ‘millennial railcard’ funded by taxing frequent flyers
The Scottish Greens have proposed a ‘millennial railcard’ to cut rail fares by a third, funded by a Frequent Flyer Levy.
Speaking at the party’s conference at Eden Court in Inverness, co-leader Ross Greer argued that wealthy frequent flyers who are fuelling climate breakdown should fund a discount on train travel for millennials in Scotland.
According to an estimate by the STUC, a frequent flyer levy for Scotland could raise around £50 million per year.
The rail card would offer one third off rail fares to those aged 31 to 49 who currently have no discount on rail travel.
It is the latest push from the Greens to improve public transport, after scrapping peak rail fares, rolling out free bus travel to under 22s, and the £2 bus cap in the Highlands.
Ross said:
“This weekend we are proposing a Frequent Flyer Levy for those who get the plane like the rest of us get the bus.
“Regular business flights within the UK are literally fuelling climate breakdown. They should be paying far more than families going on holiday once a year.
“While bankers fly back and forth between Edinburgh and Canary Wharf multiple times a week, millions of people are working every hour they can get and still struggling to get by.
“We have a whole generation who came into adulthood during and after the 2008 financial crash.
“Millennials who too often still can’t afford a deposit for a home, still can’t afford to start a family, still can’t get graduate jobs. They are also the only people currently paying full price for their train ticket.
“Everyone else can get a discount or railcard. So today I can announce that Green MSPs would use the money from taxing frequent flyers to deliver a millennial railcard, offering one third off train fares for people in their 30s and 40s.”