Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) – Minutes of Quarterly Board Meeting - 29 April 2025

Chair

Anya Kettles

Attendees

• Anya Kettles, MACS Convener (AK)
• Simon Watkins, MACS Vice-Convener & Rail Lead (SW)
• Anne MacLeod, MACS Ferries & Aviation Lead (AM)
• Lynn Pilkington, MACS Planning & Strategy Lead (LP)
• Catherine Barile, MACS Member (CB)
• Elliot Cooper, MACS Member (EC)
• Joanne Devitt, MACS Member (JD)
• Lynsey Shovlin, MACS Member (LS)
• Michael Tornow, MACS Member (MT)
• Naghat Ahmed, MACS Member (NA)
• David Keltie-Armstrong, MACS Head of Secretariat (DKA)
• Gordon McIntosh, MACS Secretariat Support Officer (GM)
• Joanne Parker, MACS Sponsorship (JP)

Apologies

• Lesley Macinnes, MACS Bus & Community Transport Co-Lead (LM)
• Susan Fulton, MACS Roads, Infrastructure & Active Travel Lead (SF)
• Zara Todd, MACS Member (ZT)

Presenters

• Chris Clark, Transport Scotland (CC)
• Paul Sloan, Transport Scotland (PS)
• Hannah Davidson, Transport Scotland (HD)
• David Jackson, Consumer Scotland (DJ)
• Tracey Reilly, Consumer Scotland (TR)

Agenda Item 1: Welcome, Apologies and Housekeeping – AK

AK welcomed everyone to the meeting. Set the meeting rules and obtained apologies from LM, SF and ZT.

Agenda Item 2: Approval of Minutes and Action Points from Previous Board Meeting - AK

AK led the group through the outstanding action points inviting comment from the committee.

Key points

Secretariat to circulate smart ticketing information more widely.

Issues with email addresses are mostly resolved and SF has moved to a new email which was shared.

MT shared that progress with obtaining access to the staging platform of Traveline has slowed Sally Shaw moving jobs.

Agenda Item 3: Workstream Leads Updates

Key Points

LP asked the SW about the MACS’ input into Clyde Metro engagement and the planned session on the new Free Companion Rail Travel Pilot.

AM asked if the committee members could help with two requests: Reviewing the Easy Read version of the Islands Connectivity Plan and CalMac is seeking feedback on its plans for a low sensory space.

AM asked DKA if their report for Mr Fairlie has been sent. DKA confirmed he will reach out to AM on this subject by the end of the week.

Agenda Item 4: Spotlight Session 1 - Free Companion Rail Travel Pilot

Presenters

Chris Clark, Paul Sloan, Hannah Davidson (Transport Scotland)

Part One: An Overview of the Pilot

CC outlined the background to the pilot scheme, which enables National Entitlement Card (NEC) holders with a visual impairment or dual sensory loss to travel with a companion for free on ScotRail services. The scheme builds on long-standing campaigning by Deafblind Scotland and Sight Scotland.

Key Points

The scheme’s design allows companions to travel without a ticket, making data collection challenging. Transport Scotland (TS) is working with Sight Scotland for monitoring and evaluation of the scheme.

The pilot is mainly limited to ScotRail services. However, all cross-border operators have now agreed to participate in the scheme so that stations served by them (e.g. at Lockerbie, East Reston stations) will be covered.

Promotion of the scheme has relied on digital channels, DPO networks, and stakeholder forums. Updating the NEC website was requested to support awareness among new applicants.

Discussion and Comments

MT asked about promotion of the scheme with cross-border operators – CC acknowledged the point and will check.

AM expressed hope the pilot succeeds as it sets a great precedent, especially for islanders facing higher costs, but raised concern about lack of empirical data.

SW praised the common-sense approach. Asked about COSLA funding – CC confirmed a flat fee is paid per card issued, amounting to over £100k annually.

AK raised concern about the risk of reduced ScotRail assistance services – CC clarified there’s no direct link between the pilot and Passenger Assist.

MT noted changes in rail assistance scope, e.g. no longer being helped to taxis – CC said there has been no direct change and this varies between individual members of staff.

Part Two: Monitoring and Evaluation

Key Points

HD explained that during baseline date collection they explored current travel behaviour; anticipated use and impact of the pilot; use of Passenger Assistance; and accessibility of rail services.

Also a comprehensive baseline survey was carried out (31 Jan – 28 Feb), using both online and postal distribution (including a Braille option).

Survey topics included travel behaviour, anticipated usage, experience with Passenger Assist, and accessibility of rail services.

Next steps: analyse open-ended responses, conduct follow-up surveys and focus groups, review questions, and publish findings before the pilot ends.

Discussion and Comments

SW asked if anything unexpected came from the focus groups – HD said no, but they provided valuable context. PS echoed HD’s response and emphasised the importance of qualitative experiences in light of limited quantitative data.

AK asked if MACS could see evaluation data before ministers – CC and PS confirmed MACS would receive it close to publication, following Cabinet Secretary review.

Agenda Item 5: Spotlight Session 2 -Consumer Scotland – ‘Consumers and the Transition to Sustainable Transport’

Presenters

David Jackson and Tracey Reilly (Consumer Scotland)

Key Points

TR opened the presentation by providing an overview of Consumer Scotland, outlining their remit, the statutory consumer duty, and recent areas of focus. These included public transport, consumer attitudes to net zero, and related evidence-based research.

DJ gave a detailed overview of Consumer Scotland’s recent reports and findings, highlighting areas of shared interest with MACS. He noted that much of the empirical data collected aligns with the lived experiences and concerns raised by the MACS Committee, particularly around transport access and service quality.

Discussion and Comments

LP raised the issue of the "implementation gap" between policy and practice, especially on the ground in rural areas. She welcomed the rural research and inclusion of disabled people's experiences. She also noted that safety issues persist and asked if Consumer Scotland had seen any effective preventative measures.

DJ responded that their current focus is on identifying and evidencing problems and making data-led recommendations. Evaluation of preventative measures is a future goal, with upcoming work expected to enable this. He emphasised the importance of undertaking Scotland-specific studies.

MT asked whether any findings showed similarities between the experiences of disabled and non-disabled travellers.

DJ noted significant crossover in the findings—for example, rural bus availability affects both groups—but the impact differs. Disabled people, particularly those in poverty, often experience more severe consequences.

TR and MT agreed with DJ’s point, reinforcing the importance of considering both shared and differential impacts.

Action Points

Action Point 1

SW asked Secretariat to circulate smart ticketing information more widely to relevant MACS members.

Status: In progress – Secretariat will do so as we obtain more information.

Action Point 2

DKA to progress the proposal for a spotlight session focused on smart ticketing.

Status: In progress - A Spotlight Session had been discussed with the Sponsor of the National Smart Ticket Advisory Board (NSTAB) for the July Board, this has since been overtaken by Scoping Day. An invitation will be extended again to the Chair of NSTAB and the Sponsor/Smart Ticketing Policy Lead to present to the next MACS Board meeting if agreed.

Action Point 3

Secretariat to follow up with Scott Allen regarding Traveline staging access for MT.

Status: In Progress – Secretariat have emailed for an update and will follow-up again. Last release of updates was April 2025.

Action Point 4

Minutes to include clearer spacing between individual action points for accessibility.

Status: Complete

Action Point 5

JD to review the Easy Read version of the Islands Connectivity Plan. 

Status: Complete – JD has provided the feedback

Action Point 6

LP to provide CalMac with feedback on its proposal for a low sensory space.

Status: Complete – LP has provided the feedback.

Action Point 7

DKA to book a meeting with AM to discuss their report to Mr Fairlie by end of week.

Status: Complete – meeting has occurred. Officials in Health and Social Care had briefed Mr Fairlie and a number of meetings have taken place with officials and Ministers.

Post-meeting note – this is an active and moving area of work with AM leading and it is anticipated that an approach may be made to the Minister to meet later in the year depending on developments.