Fife Green MSP Mark Ruskell has joined a call for more affordable public transport.
He is among politicians from across the political spectrum who have backed a report urging the Scottish Government to set out how it expects to meet its target of cutting vehicle journeys by 20% in less than eight years’ time.
The Mid Scotland and Fife MSP said: “What stands out for me is that there appears to be no route to meet climate targets without vehicle mileage reduction.”
Cutting car miles a ‘tall order’
The Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group (CPG) on Sustainable Transport held a ‘mini inquiry’ into the Scottish target for reducing road mileage.
How we are ever going to encourage people onto public transport.”
Graham Simpson MSP
Conservative MSP for Central Scotland Graham Simpson is the group’s convener.
“Cutting car miles by a fifth within just over seven years is a tall order,” he said.
“When it still costs a couple times more to travel by train than it would in petrol then you have to ask: how we are ever going to encourage people on to public transport.
“Cost of living is a huge issue, so if you hit motorists – ordinary people going about their business – where it hurts then you need to provide a cheaper and better alternative.”
He added that the Scottish Government should “spell out what it plans to do, having set the target in the first place”.
The mini inquiry heard evidence earlier this year, including from Heather Cowan, head of climate change at Transport Scotland.
“Heather outlined the importance of behaviour change, as electrification alone will not be sufficient to meet climate targets,” said the report.
Earlier this year we heard from disgruntled rail commuters. People in Fife we spoke to said public transport needed to be more “user friendly”.
Meanwhile, one rail passenger described the fares as “crazy”.
Labour Lothian region MSP Sarah Boyack is deputy convener of the CPG.
“My priorities would be a focus on ensuring that public transport is affordable and accessible, with a reversal of cuts to bus services, continued investment in active travel and political support for a shift to low carbon transport across all sectors.”
Fares review
A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said: “We know that to reduce car use, public transport has to be affordable and accessible.”
She highlighted the fact that transport bosses had frozen rail fares for people in Fife and Tayside, and Scotland as a whole, until March next year.
“ScotRail fares remain on average cheaper than those across the rest of Great Britain.”
Cuts to bus services have been criticised by public transport users in Tayside, Fife and Angus.
But the Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We continue to provide financial support for bus services to keep services more extensive, and fares more affordable than would otherwise be the case.
“We are also progressing the Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares.”
This review will consider “both the cost and availability of services and the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry”.
Transport bosses are expected to complete this review in “early 2023”.
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