Introduction

This paper provides an interim evaluation of the impact of the removal of peak fares from the ScotRail network. It covers the period from the introduction of the pilot in October 2023 to December 2023. As such it is very much a preliminary analysis and is subject to significant uncertainty over the long-term impacts. After the end of the pilot on 28 June 2024, a final evaluation will be undertaken using the full nine months of data and the Scottish Government will then carefully consider the impact and long term sustainability of any further measures.

This paper focus on three strands; a multi-modal analysis of current travel patterns and the impact during the pilot so far; an assessment of the impact on rail travellers during the pilot; and the provision of an interim value for money assessment of the pilot. All of these will be updated when the pilot concludes.

The early part of the trial period was impacted by severe weather including Storm Babet which means the period over which the trial can be evaluated at this interim stage is reduced. As a consequence, less weight should be given to these results than otherwise would be the case.