Scottish Greens call for SNP to reconsider return of peak rail fares
The Scottish Government should reconsider its decision to bring back peak rail fares, says the Scottish Greens’ transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell.
Mr Ruskell’s comments come as analysis from The Times shows that over 10 million additional train journeys were made during the period that they were removed.
The groundbreaking scheme, which began in October 2023 and lasted 12 months, was secured by the Scottish Greens during their time in Government.
Rail fares are set to increase by an above-inflation 3.8% on April 1st.
“When the Scottish Greens introduced the pilot to end peak rail fares we did so knowing that it would support people in a cost of living crisis and increase rail use.
“Public transport has to be accessible and affordable if it is to become the first choice for workers, students and commuters. The 10 million extra journeys during that year shows that removing peak rail fares works in the long-term.
“Peak rail fares are an unfair tax. Why should the same journey cost more before a certain time of day? It does nothing but punish commuters who have no say in the times they travel to work, study or other appointments.
“A lot of people and families are already under pressure and are being forced to stretch their budgets too far to meet their basic needs. Now they are being asked to dig deeper and pay some of Europe’s highest rail fares to get to work - it is simply unfair.
“Rail travel is our most climate friendly transport system here in Scotland and we have to make it budget friendly too if we want to see less cars on our roads.”