2 weeks Ago
Public transport plays a central role in the lives of many of us in Inverclyde – to get to the shops, to get to work and to see family and friends. Rail fares for passengers in Scotland already rose by a whopping 8.7 per cent just last year.
A further rise of nearly 4 per cent is the last thing they need. I know that local rail users are understandably unhappy with paying more for getting less. Across Scotland there are around 1 in 10 fewer services than there were pre-pandemic and locally we have seen reductions in the off-peak fast services between Gourock and Glasgow.
Older people in the west of Scotland have also been particularly hit hard with fare hikes - they are now paying up to three times more for rail travel than they were last week. For example, a passenger over 60 could travel up to 10 miles on the train from just £1 thanks to the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s (SPT) concessionary rail scheme but changes to the scheme have now came into force due to the Scottish Government’s underfunding of SPT and local councils. Increased rail travel is good for the economy and the environment and gives people the opportunity to enjoy visiting the country around them.
Trains in particular are proving even more vital now with the seemingly constant flow of jobs leaving the area in recent months forcing employees to travel further afield for work. And important further still when car travel is not possible or is made more difficult because of traffic congestion and roadworks, as has been the case recently. That’s why I consider peak fares (before 9am) as an added tax on going to work and I am pleased that my party, Scottish Labour, has pledged to finally scrap them should we form the next Scottish Government.
People in Inverclyde and across the country must have properly functioning and affordable public transport – this is a basic requirement..
