Give teens free bus travel to offset low wages, says MSP
BY STEWART PATERSON FREE travel should be given to 16 to 18-year-olds in a pilot scheme to help teenagers in education or in low paid work, according to a Glasgow MSP.
Pauline McNeill, Labour MSP, called on Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, to put in place a programme to tackle what she said was an unfair situation.
Ms McNeil has been campaigning to get concessionary travel extended to the age group as school pupils have to pay full fare as soon as they turn 16.
She asked for a three-year pilot to gauge the take up and benefits free travel could bring.
She said apprentices or workers on the minimum wage are expected to pay full price as the cut price fares they are entitled to are right now only available at off-peak times.
The Transport Minister listed the various discounts currently available to young people.
Mr Yousaf had told her the Young Scot smart card scheme offers a one-third discount off the adult single fare on any registered bus service in Scotland, one-third off most rail journeys in Scotland, and a 50 per cent discount on rail season tickets.
Ms McNeill said progress made does not go far enough to help those who need it when they need it.
She said: “Seventy-eight per cent of 16 to 18-year-olds are in education, and only six per cent of them are in fulltime work.”
In Glasgow, more pupils have been staying on at school after 16 and those who do leave are going into further education or higher education, many of whom are under 18.
Others are in work with 92 per cent of Glasgow school leavers either in work education or training.
She added: “Many of those people earn as little as £4.05 an hour, if they are earning at all.”
She then asked the minister if he would consider “a short-term scheme of free or reduced fares on buses or trains for a period of three years, so that we can assess the benefits of such a scheme and the uptake by young people in that age group of free transport or better fares?”
Mr Yousaf said he would be happy to look at any proposal Ms McNeill had if it was detailed and costed.
He said: “If she can say from where that money would be found and from which budget it would come, I would, of course, be more than happy to have a conversation about that with her.”