Edinburgh asylum seeker living on £9 per week 'can't afford bus fare to college'
An asylum seeker in Edinburgh who lives on £9 per week said that a free bus fare would be "key" for the welfare of asylum seekers.
Sainey Touray, 49, is a former member of parliament from The Gambia and is seeking asylum in the UK.
He spoke to Edinburgh Live about the challenges asylum seekers face accessing transportation.
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The Scottish Government has been trying to introduce free bus travel for asylum seekers for some time - in August this year, plans to enact the policy were scrapped.
And while Holyrood voted on a motion in October to instate the policy by 2026, the vote was non-binding - putting the policy on shaky ground.
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 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 applied for asylum in 2022 and was moved to Home Office accommodation in Edinburgh in January 2023. He has been waiting for a decision on his asylum claim for two years.
Because asylum seekers are not permitted to work, paying for transport can present a challenge.
The Home Office provides about £50 per week, around £7 per day, for people in uncatered accommodation. Individuals in hotels receive £8-9 per week, which is around £1.40 per day, according to the Scottish Refugee Council.
Sainey receives £9 each week from the Home Office.
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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 that Sainey is unable to easily access his GP or make productive use of his time while he awaits an asylum decision.
The former politician was taking college courses at Newbattle Abbey College but stopped after it became too difficult to arrange travel with limited funds.
Sainey said it also prevented him from socialising. He enjoys playing Scrabble with friends at the public library, but often does not attend due to the cost of transport.
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.”
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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