MSP Colin Smyth has urged SNP Green Government Ministers to intervene over the 15 per cent bus fare price hikes being faced by users of Stagecoach buses in Ayrshire.
Mr Smyth tabled parliamentary questions urging Government Ministers with responsibility for Transport, SNP MSP Kevin Stewart and Green MSP Patrick Harvie, to follow other parts of the UK by capping the fare process.
Mr Smyth also urged them to reverse cuts in support for bus services and link support for companies to keep down fares and maintain bus routes.
The call comes after Stagecoach confirmed that as a result of the Scottish Government’s decision to end emergency financial support, known as the Network Support Grant plus, to bus firms on March 31, the company were being forced to increase fares for all services by an average 15 per cent from April 2.
Mr Smyth said: “SNP and Green Government Ministers were well aware of warnings from bus firms that if the emergency support grant was ended on March 31 then there would be fare hikes and service cuts, but they have completely ignored these warnings.
“Across the UK we see fares being capped in cities like Manchester and Liverpool by Mayors there, yet in Scotland the Scottish Government allow a free for all on bus fares and it’s communities in the south west who are being hit hardest by hikes in prices and cuts in services.
“There are fewer services than ever before and many of those that still exist will now be completely unaffordable for many families.
“SNP and Green Ministers need to learn from other areas and bring in clear plans to stop excessive increases, ensure there is sufficient support to keep services going and ensure that the funding that is allocated to firms is linked to clear commitments on keeping down fares and stopping reductions in routes.”
Minister for Transport Kevin Stewart said: “We’ve been engaging with industry through our Bus Taskforce and have been clear that the support provided to transport operators needs to evolve to ensure it remains fit for purpose and is sustainable in the long term.
“We are aware of the importance of bus services and are committed, in conjunction with operators and local authorities, to improving services to ensure everyone has accessible public transport regardless of geographic location.
“There is a broad package of long-term investment in bus, including through the Network Support Grant, Community Bus Fund, and for bus priority infrastructure, together with the enhanced suite of options for local transport authorities to improve bus services according to their local needs, including formal partnerships, franchising and running their own bus services.
“The Scotland-wide free bus travel schemes for Young People and for Older and Disabled people support a much larger percentage of the population than schemes elsewhere in the UK, providing free bus travel for over 2 million people.
“More than a third of the population, over 2.3 million people, including everyone under 22 and over 60, and disabled people and companions, can benefit from free bus travel. The range of concessionary travel schemes in Scotland does not exist in any other part of the UK.”
He added: “The Scottish Government is also progressing the Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares that supports the long-term viability of our public transport system as we recover from the pandemic.”
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