Yahoo News ScotRail peak fares must be permanently scrapped, demand unions and environmental groups
Scottish trade unions and environmental groups have joined together to demand an end to peak rail fares. Unions STUC, RMT, TSSA, Unite and ASLEF alongside climate groups Friends of the Earth Scotland, Get Glasgow Moving and Just Transition Partnership have written a joint letter to Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop urging her to reverse the return to peak rail pricing.
The SNP Government announced last month that it would end the pilot on abolishing peak rail fares over claims the policy favours the better off.
The pilot, which saved commuters thousands of pounds, will end on September 27 and lead to massive price rises. A day return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh will rise from £16.20 to £31.40 - a near 100 per cent rise.
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The unions and environmental groups have launched a new campaign called ‘Past its Peak: End Scotland’s Peak Fare Pricing’. They called the decision to reinstate peak fares "inexplicable" and called for the SNP Government to show they’re “committed” to sustainable transport and the funding of Scotland’s public services.
The STUC had previously said the move to reinstate peak fares made a “mockery” of the Scottish Government’s climate and sustainable travel ambitions.
STUC Deputy General Secretary Dave Moxham said: “Ending an ultimately successful trial of removing peak rail fares shows a clear lack of foresight from the Scottish Government and fundamentally weakens any ambitions they have on climate, sustainable travel, or upholding standards in our public services.
"As it stands, workers will simply be unable to afford their commute to work whilst this inexplicable tax on travel remains in place.
"Our campaign, representative of the trade union, environmental and sustainable travel movement across Scotland is clear that the Scottish Government is running a real risk of derailing progress in supporting workers and our climate. They must see sense and extend the pilot before it’s too late."
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The Scottish Government's decision to reintroduce peak fares is a step backwards. This trial was proven to increase rail usage and shift journeys away from cars, directly supporting Scotland's climate goals.
"At a time when we need bold action on public transport, the government has chosen to push commuters back into cars and make rail travel unaffordable for many. We urge them to reverse this short-sighted decision.
"There have been four million additional rail journeys over nine months, with approximately two million of those journeys shifting from cars to trains. The Scottish Government's rail budget for this year was already cut by 10% whilst the roads budget increased by 25 per cent, and now its decision to reintroduce peak fares is a clear indication that public transport is not being prioritised in Scotland"
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:
“The Peak Fares Removal Pilot was a welcome incentive over the last 12 months, saving many passengers hundreds and in some cases thousands of pounds during the cost of living crisis. The published analysis shows it primarily benefitted existing rail passengers and those with medium to higher incomes. As such, the subsidy required in the current financial climate means it cannot continue on the measure of saving money alone. Although passenger levels increased to a maximum of around 6.8%, it would require a 10% increase in passenger numbers for the policy to be self-financing. The Scottish Government would be open to consider future subsidy to remove peak fares should UK budget allocations improve in future years.
“Ministers understand this will be disappointing for many rail users, particularly for those who cannot choose when they travel to and from work. That is why a 12-month discount on all ScotRail season tickets has been introduced – available weekly, monthly and annually. Prior to the pilot someone travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow would have paid £28.90 for an anytime return. They will now pay £31.40 for an anytime day return but with the 20% discount this reduces to £18.52 if they use an annual season ticket to travel at least 4 days per week or £21.25 if using a flexipass for a return journey.
“There is no doubt that this has been a challenging period for rail travel but Ministers are hopeful that services can get back to normal soon and Scotland’s Railway continues to grow. Since ScotRail moved into public sector, passenger numbers are up by 75% from 46.7 million in 2021/22 to around 82 million in 2023/24. This makes ScotRail one of the fastest growing operators, with one of the best passenger satisfaction rates.
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