Scrapping of rail fare pilot puts greener future at risk

For the last 12 months we’ve had off-peak fares all day, with the pilot to scrap them sitting among the most important changes secured by the Scottish Greens in government. It had finally done away with complicated ticketing systems and simplified the process while saving regular commuters hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of pounds.

There is no justification for peak rail fares. They are an unfair tax that disproportionately hits students and workers. Most people have no say in when they need to be at work, so it is hugely unfair to charge them almost double to get there.

A peak return ticket between Edinburgh and Glasgow will now cost £31, with longer journeys reaching even more eye-watering costs. There’s no way to justify those kinds of prices, especially not when times are so tough for so many.

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I was involved in the negotiations that established the pilot. There were always parts of the Government who were sceptical about the introduction of off-peak fares all day.

When the Scottish Greens were in the room, we stood our ground and championed the many benefits as part of budget negotiations. We did the same to get it extended, and before the collapse of the coalition agreement between ourselves and the SNP, we were arguing for the change to be permanent.

Transport Scotland has said that the numbers don’t justify making the change permanent, but that is a misreading of the situation. Their own figures show that rail travel has significantly increased, which is particularly impressive when there has been so much chaos on our rails and at a time when more people are working from home.

Surely doubling costs again will simply encourage people to think again before getting on a train?

(Image: Supplied)

It also seems wrong to make a judgement about a long-term change based on very short-term data. Behavioural change doesn’t happen overnight and by making the move permanent we could have offered certainty and encouraged more people to take the plunge and change the way they travel.

The reality is that we cannot afford to go back. Not if we want to have a cleaner, greener and more liveable future. Transport is the single biggest source of carbon emissions in Scotland. We simply have to address it – and we have no way of hitting our climate targets without significantly reducing the number of cars on our roads.

A lot of people would gladly use public transport but choose to drive because they don’t see another choice. There are large parts of our country that do not have regular or affordable greener alternatives.

We can’t convince drivers to leave their car at home just by stressing the environmental benefits of trains and buses. We also need to ensure that regular and affordable public transport is available and that it is a credible alternative if we are to offer a genuine alternative.

That is what we have done with buses, with the introduction of free bus travel for everyone under 22, which has opened up the country to hundreds of thousands of young people, offering them independence and saving money for them and their families. It has also been a boost in the arm for local bus companies, helping some to protect services and others to expand.

There will be no shortage of environmental challenges that we will face in the months and years ahead. The Scottish Government will need to produce a new climate plan and vision after accepting that the 2030 targets it set are now unachievable. There is no time to waste if we are to ramp up climate action and make the changes that are necessary. This week’s decision totally flies in the face of that.

How can we cut transport emissions by asking people to pay some of the most extortionate train prices in Europe? And how can we expect more people to make the switch to low-carbon travel at the same time as we are hiking up prices during a cost of living crisis?

(Image: Alex_Ishchenko)

Now that ScotRail is in public hands we should be setting standards across the UK and using the powers we have to build a genuine people’s railway. There should be a continued focus on building a strong partnership with unions and the workforce avoiding industrial action and encouraging careers in rail.

It means accepting that rail is a public service, routes and services that open up the country need to be supported and expanded. It means modernising railway stations and reopening more that have been lost. The huge success of new stations at Levenmouth and the Borders underlines their importance in bringing more fare-paying passengers back onto the rail network.

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I know that all of this is being made far harder by a Westminster government that seems to be just as committed to Osbornenomics as its Tory predecessors. But that only makes it all the more important that Scotland uses the powers we have to full effect.

Our railways are not just a way of connecting points on a map. They are a key lifeline for our communities. They are crucial to wellbeing and tackling isolation. They can and must have a great future, but that will mean increasing access and making them more available rather than pricing people off them.