Scottish Liberal Democrats call for rail fare freeze

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today urged the Scottish Government to commit to a rail fare freeze for the year ahead, after the latest inflation figures show that Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation was at 9% in July.  

July's RPI inflation figure is normally used to determine the rail fare increase which is implemented the following January, meaning that passengers could be faced with a huge hike in ticket costs over the next year.    

The Scottish Government announced a fare freeze to great fanfare, however this lasted a mere six months from January 2023, with fares increasing by 4.8% from 3rd July 2023.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:  

"These figures will mean that hardworking commuters and all those travelling around the country will be clobbered by steep fare rises unless the Scottish Government takes action.  

“Jacking up rail fares does nothing to encourage people onto public transport and makes hitting our key climate and emissions targets even harder.  

“The Scottish Government’s response to the cost-of-living crisis has been utterly miserable.  

“Control of rail fares is within the power of the Scottish Government. They must immediately announce a rail fare freeze and introduce long-term ticketing solutions to encourage people to rely on rail travel, backed by trains that run on time.  

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see fares cut, new options for flexible season tickets and for the government to work with councils to explore new lines, particularly in areas that suffer from poor public transport links.”