Edinburgh asylum seeker on £9 per week blasts scrapping of Scottish Government free bus fares

Sainey Touray, a former member of parliament in The Gambia and asylum seeker, hopes to see free bus travel extended to asylum seekers.
-Credit: (Image: Edinburgh Live)


An asylum seeker living in Edinburgh on £9 per week has described the scrapped free bus fare policy as "key" for the welfare of asylum seekers.

Former member of the Gambian Parliament, Sainey Touray, 49, is seeking asylum in the UK and spoke to Edinburgh Live about the challenges asylum seekers face accessing transportation.

The Scottish Government tried to introduce free bus travel for asylum seekers for, however, in August, plans to enact the policy were scrapped. Despite, in October, Holyrood voted on a motion to instate the policy by 2026, the vote was non-binding - putting the policy on shaky ground.

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The Scottish Refugee Council said: "The vote was non-binding. This means that the government is not obligated to act on its outcome. While their recommitment is welcomed, at this stage, it is not clear when or how this will happen."

Sainey Touray is a former member of parliament from The Gambia
Sainey Touray is a former member of parliament from The Gambia -Credit:YouTube: Eye Africa TV

Sainey served as MP for the Jarra East constituency in The Gambia from 2017-2022 until he was forced to flee “for his life” for expressing certain political views.

He said: “I was against corruption. I was against bad governance. I advocated for women's rights, but that did not go down with the government. I fled for my life.”

Sainey filed for asylum in 2022 and was relocated to Home Office accommodation in Edinburgh in January 2023. He's been waiting for a verdict on his asylum plea for two years. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work, therefore paying for transit present a challenge.

People in uncatered accommodation get around £50 per week, or £7 per day, from the Home Office. According to the Scottish Refugee Council, those in hotels get £8-9 a week, or approximately £1.40 per day. Sainey earns £9 each week from the Home Office.

He broke down the cost of travel based on Lothian bus prices. Sainey said: “Imagine somebody gives you £9 every week. If you want to use the bus for a week, you have to pay £22. The stipend doesn’t cover that. And to go two ways, it’s £4. A day ticket is £5.”

Any way you cut it, Sainey said, “That’s already most of your stipend.”

This means Sainey can't readily see his GP or make good use of his time as he waits for an asylum decision. The former politician was enrolled at Newbattle Abbey College but dropped out after finding it impossible to arrange trips with low funds.

Sainey said it also prevented him from socialising. Due to the cost of transport, he can't often attend playing Scrabble with friends at the public library, which he loves. He hopes the Scottish Government will instate a policy that extends free bus fare to asylum seekers.

Sainey said: “Transportation is very important. I think that is very key. If we could get a bus pass, it would give us back our movement. It would help us a lot. If we can move and go about our business, it would be a great deal of help for us.”

The Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh, which provides accommodation for 129 members, their researchers and parliamentary staff was named as the fourth ugliest building in the UK
The Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh, which provides accommodation for 129 members, their researchers and parliamentary staff was named as the fourth ugliest building in the UK

As of June 2023, there were over 5,000 asylum seekers living in Scotland, according to the Scottish Government.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We continue to face the most challenging financial situation since devolution. Difficult choices are having to be made to deliver sustainable finances and we are calling on the UK Government in its Autumn Budget to deliver more funding for public services, infrastructure and measures to eradicate child poverty.

“We understand the transformative effect access to public transport could have on the lives of people seeking asylum in Scotland. We share the deep disappointment of many that we were not able to do this due to the very difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year.

"Although we understand the predicament that the Chancellor has identified from her audit of the UK’s public finances, unfortunately, it validates what we have long been saying – as the UK is facing a profoundly difficult financial situation, Scotland is too.”

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