THE Scottish Government is being urged to scrap peak rail fares and offer free travel to people over 60 and under 24 ahead of the announcement of the Budget.
Acting Finance Secretary John Swinney will outline tax and spending plans for the next financial year next week, against the backdrop of rising inflation and prices, as well as public-sector pay disputes.
In a letter to Swinney and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the train drivers union Aslef said reforming fares on Scotland’s railways would contribute to meeting net-zero targets and help Scots during the cost of living crisis.
Currently, a peak return fare on a ScotRail train between Glasgow and Edinburgh is £27.60, while an off-peak return is just £14.20 between the same two stations.
This week, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said Scotland has missed seven of its 11 net-zero targets to date and there was “no clear plan of delivery” that would see emissions cut by 75% by 2030.
In the letter, Aslef Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay said: “With this in mind, we would urge you in this budget to help increase rail travel by abolishing peak fares, which we see as another tax on workers, and also to make rail travel free for the under-24s and over-60s.
READ MORE: Tories 'risking repeat of 2008 crisis' with post-Brexit banking regulation cutbacks
“By directly intervening in this way, your government can help the travelling public break from the bad habit of unhealthy and environmentally damaging road travel and get into the good habit of environmentally sustainable rail travel.
“Moreover, such a policy will hugely help people who are struggling in the face of a very harmful cost of living crisis. If the Scottish Government is serious about meeting its climate change targets, these policies are the very least the Government should be doing.
“We urge you to take heed of our call, set against the context of the very serious assessment this week from the CCC, and end peak fares and introduce free travel for under-24s and over-60s.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel