Bus fares in Scotland should be capped 'to get people back on the buses'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Labour has urged the Scottish Government to introduce a cap on bus fares to encourage more people to use public transport. Scottish Labour transport spokesperson Neil Bibby said that bus services in Scotland are on “the brink of collapse” due to unreliable and unaffordable fares.Some 130 operators in England have signed up to cap fares at £2 for the first three months of the year.

Bibby has pleaded with the Scottish Government to do the same to prevent people seeking alternative transport.The MSP said: “The bus services people need every day to get to their work and move around their communities are on the brink of collapse. “As a result, more and more people are being forced into cars by unreliable and overpriced services. “In order to get people back on the buses, we should follow the lead Labour mayors have set in England to cap fares and make public transport affordable once again. “In Edinburgh, council-owned Lothian Buses’ single fares are just £1.80, but elsewhere in Scotland passengers are paying rip-off fares to private bus companies, such as £2.65 for a two-mile journey in Greater Glasgow. “Our communities, our economy and our planet need a working bus network which is affordable and reliable.

Services will continue to decline unless we take serious action and provide better, cheaper buses.”The Scottish Government said its concessionary bus travel schemes are the most generous in the UK, with under-22s, over-60s, and people with disabilities eligible for free travel.

Passenger bus journeys in Scotland decreased by 65 per cent in 2020/21 to 127 million, compared with 363 million the previous year, according to Transport Scotland data.