THE Scottish Greens have called for bus fares to be capped at £2 ahead of next week’s Budget.
There is currently no fare cap in place across Scotland, although some bus companies have set caps for daily use of their services.
The £2 cap would mirror a similar initiative in England which was introduced in 2023 – although the UK Government announced recently that the cap would be rising to £3.
The Greens have said introducing a cap on bus fares would “open up” the country, save commuters hundreds of pounds and transform access to local bus services.
It comes as the SNP is in negotiations with other parties in an attempt to pass the Budget on December 4.
Because the SNP Government is a minority administration, it needs the support of at least one opposition party to pass the Budget.
We told how the LibDems said they would vote against the Budget if it contained “even a penny” of spending on independence.
The SNP’s deputy leader, Keith Brown, branded Alex Cole-Hamilton “anti-democratic” for making the comments, despite the SNP being elected to Holyrood on a pro-independence mandate in 2021.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens have said they will only support the Budget if it makes no cuts to independence spending.
The party’s transport spokesperson, Mark Ruskell, said introducing a £2 cap would make public transport more affordable, adding that it would build on the already-existing scheme for free bus travel for under 22s.
The scheme – which was introduced in 2022 while the Greens were in government – is estimated to have resulted in around 730,000 young people taking 140 million free bus journeys.
Ruskell (below) said: “By capping the price of bus travel we can open up our country and transform access to local bus services.
“A £2 fare cap would allow people to make journeys they are currently priced-out of while supporting workers and regular commuters, as well as people visiting their friends and families.
“If we are to cut the cost of living and encourage people to leave their cars at home then we need to reduce the cost of public transport. This would have a huge benefit for people travelling between towns and cities, where the cost is often too high.”
Ruskell added that he hoped the Scottish Government “learns” from the rollout of the bus fare cap in England, urging it to introduce is as part of the Budget.
The price cap in England is delivered through voluntary agreement with bus operators, with the UK Government reimbursing operators for the difference between the price cap and the commercial fare.
Ruskell continued: “The introduction of free bus travel for young people has been one of the proudest achievements of devolution. It has created a whole new generation of bus users, but for some the price cliff when they lose their bus pass is huge.
“A fare cap would help keep people on the buses when they have to start paying.
“By introducing a fare cap we can build on that success, cut pollution and deliver cleaner, greener and more affordable transport for all.”
Back in March, we told how the Scottish Government announced a flat fare bus trial following a review of the cost of public transport, although it is not yet clear when the trial will take place.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "Ministers are committed to building as broad support as possible across Parliament in order to deliver the forthcoming Budget.
“Engagement with all parties is ongoing ahead of the draft Budget being set out in the Scottish Parliament on December 4.”
