Almost 900 days since Fair Fares Review announced

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today criticised the SNP/Green Government for failing to get serious about connectivity and the environment as he revealed that a long-promised review of public transport fares has yet to be published, despite it being almost 900 days since ministers first said it would be conducted.

It is now 897 days since the Fair Fares Review was announced in the Bute House Agreement at the end of August 2021. Since then, there have been four transport secretaries (Graeme Dey, Jenny Gilruth, Kevin Stewart and Fiona Hyslop) and three rail fare hikes, with the latest hike putting up fares by almost 9%.

At Thursday’s climate summit attended by the First Minister and the leaders of all opposition parties, Mr Cole-Hamilton raised the fair fares review and asked why the government had taken so long to complete it.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out a series of key priorities for boosting connectivity and strengthening climate commitments:

• Cut train fares and introduce new options for two/three day a week season tickets.
• Explore new rail lines, particularly in areas where public transport links are poor.
• Introduce powerful regional transport partnerships to take control of bus services, following the Transport for London model.
• Introduce a Scotland wide smart card system for all forms of transport.
• Establish a reliable ferry service for island communities across Scotland.
• Extend the under-22s bus pass to inter-island ferries.
• Avoid future-cut off dates on Serco NorthLink ferries by establishing a rolling booking system that is open for a year in advance.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Making people wait almost 900 days for a review of public transport fares is farcical. It raises big questions about how seriously this government takes greener travel and improving connectivity.

“Since 2021, we’ve seen a rapid turnover of transport ministers, combined with an enormous rise in rail fares. All of this is a hammer blow for commuters, communities and the environment.

“If we want to convince people to rely on public transport, we need a system that is cheap, effective and well joined up.

“All we’ve heard from ministers is dither and delay, and that’s why I raised the issue with the First Minister this week. Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out extensive proposals to help all those travelling by rail, bus and ferry- now it’s time for ministers to take those plans forward and put them into action.”