Background
Our public transport system is a key enabler for growth and opportunity – providing the vital link between where people live, learn, earn and socialise. Access to affordable and reliable public transport services helps people and communities unlock opportunities to connect to jobs, education, retail, public services, leisure, recreation and social and family networks.
A sustainable and viable public transport system is also vital in achieving our ambitious targets on climate change mitigation.
Scotland`s National Transport Strategy (NTS2) sets out a vision that:- “We will have a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system, helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.”
Furthermore, the First Minister`s Policy Prospectus, Equality, Opportunity, Community: New leadership - A fresh start, published in April 2023, sets out a commitment that by 2026 we will have advanced towards making our public transport system more accessible, available and affordable, with the costs of transport more fairly shared across government, business and society.
On 20 August 2021, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party entered into the Bute House Agreement (BHA), a shared policy programme spanning five years to build a green economic recovery from Covid-19, respond to the climate emergency and create a fairer country.
Amongst other policy commitments, and in recognition of the issues highlighted above, the BHA confirmed that the Scottish Government would “commission a Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares. The Review was published on 22 March 2024.
The Review sets out our aim to ensure the public transport system is more accessible, available, and affordable, with the costs of transport more fairly shared across government, business, and society. It also highlights the challenges facing public transport and presents options on the immediate to short and medium to long-term actions that are available to reform our current transport offering, including the development of proposals to introduce a national integrated fare structure, developing a proposal for a bus flat fares pilot scheme and establishing a National Forum on the Future of Public Transport to co-ordinate improvement of delivery of a quality, accessible, available and affordable integrated public transport system.
As part of the Fair Fares Review, a pathfinder pilot was established (the “ScotRail Peak Fares Removal Pilot”) to encourage modal shift from car to rail by reducing the cost of travel at peak times for a period of six months between 2 October 2023 and 29 March 2024. As part of the 2024/25 Scottish Government Budget, the pilot was subsequently extended for a further three months ending on 28 June 2024.
ScotRail has removed the timing restrictions on the off-peak fares and products which they set and control that are currently only valid on off-peak services so they are valid to travel all-day. No other train operators are participating in the pilot.
There are significant savings on some flows and some of the examples highlighted in the promotion of the trial are:
- Edinburgh – Glasgow (£28.90 to £14.90)
- Inverkeithing – Edinburgh (£11.10 to £6.50)
- Perth – Dundee (£14.40 to £9.90)
- Glasgow – Stirling (£16.10 to £9.60)
- Inverurie – Aberdeen (£11.10 to £8.90)
- Inverness – Elgin (£22.00 to £14.40)
The pattern of fare changes also varies significantly geographically. See Table 1.
| Area | Far North | Aberdeen & NE | Dundee - Stirling | West Highland | Edinburgh | Inner Glasgow | Outer Glasgow | SW Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Far North | -1% | -28% | -17% | -4% | -19% | -19% | -19% | -20% |
| Aberdeen & NE | -28% | -21% | -14% | -17% | -22% | -21% | -20% | -19% |
| Dundee - Stirling | -17% | -14% | -20% | -20% | -32% | -35% | -23% | -20% |
| West Highland | -4% | -17% | -20% | -4% | -22% | -9% | -9% | -5% |
| Edinburgh | -19% | -22% | -32% | -22% | -33% | -41% | -37% | -31% |
| Inner Glasgow | -19% | -21% | -35% | -9% | -41% | -34% | -34% | -31% |
| Outer Glasgow | -19% | -20% | -23% | -9% | -37% | -34% | -34% | -29% |
| SW Scotland | -20% | -19% | -20% | -5% | -31% | -31% | -29% | -30% |