A campaign to ensure a fairer deal for Fifers when it comes to train fares appears to be back on track following talks between the council and transport minister Humza Yousaf.
Council leader David Ross and deputy leader Lesley Laird said Fife’s bid for more equitable rail fares has taken a more positive turn after the meeting with Mr Yousaf, who has pledged to look at the controversial issue in more detail over the coming weeks and months.
The matter has been pushed up the agenda by Fife Council amid concerns that Fifers are paying well over the odds in relation to comparable journeys elsewhere in Scotland.
A 44-and-a-half mile journey from Cupar to Edinburgh costs travellers £23.10 for a day return, for example, although a 40-mile trip from Bridge of Allan to the capital costs just £14.80.
That prompted a request by Fife Council to Transport Scotland to form a working group with a view to developing and bringing forward recommendations on a fairer rail pricing structure
Mrs Laird explained: “The minister was very receptive to the case we have been making over the last few months regarding fairer train prices and he understood where this issue fits in the context of a fairer and more equal Fife and Scotland.
“He has now agreed to look at this issue in more detail to better understand the regional variations on rail pricing.
“I outlined to the minister that we fully appreciate this is a long standing issue going back to 2005 and one not easy to address.
“There is then all the more reason to work on it sooner rather than later so that we can put in place a fairer solution.”
Mrs Laird said she was keen to get a working group around the table as soon as possible, describing now as a “good time to move forward with this work”.
“I am pleased that the minister was receptive to this idea and that he has agreed to give further consideration to the issue of either a separate working group or incorporate the work into the announced review of the national transport strategy,” she continued.
“Everyone agrees that we have a compelling case and that it is simply not fair that Fifers subsidise other rail users in Scotland by paying two and three times more per rail mile.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman stopped short of confirming any plans for a working group to discuss the issue, stressing that fare setting is a commercial matter for the franchisee.
“Scottish ministers ensure that fares are kept below certain thresholds by regulating the maximum permitted annual increase for selected fares, including Anytime and Season tickets, to the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI) for regulated peak fares and one per cent below RPI for regulated off-peak fares,” the spokesman concluded.
“The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring public transport remains affordable for all.
“We will continue to engage with Fife Council to understand its concerns in respect of the price of rail fares.”
