SNP urged to scrap inflation-busting ‘rip-off ’ rail fare hike
T h e S c o t t i s h G o v e r n m e n t is facing demands to freeze rail fares in 2021 after it was revealed that a planned price hike would see them rise by more than the rate of inflation for the first time in seven years.
The UK government's rail minister, Chris Heaton Harris, last week confirmed that a rise of 2.6 p er cent would come into effect from March 1 next year – two months later than the usual fare rise date of Januar y but a percentage point higher than the expected increase.
Fare rises are normally set using the retail prices index ( R P I ) i n f l a t i o n r a t e f r o m the previous July – a p olicy already criticised as it is higher than the preferred measure of inflation, the consumer prices index (CPI), and higher than wage increases for most of the last decade. RPI was just 1.6 per cent in the summer, while CPI was one per cent.
As a result, Scottish Labour claims that commuters travelling at peak times from Glasgow to Edinburgh five days a week wo uld see an increase of £67 a year to £4,267, those t r ave l l i n g f r o m Gl a s g ow to Dundee would pay £92 more a year to a total of £5,872 and c o mmut e r s g o i n g b e t we e n Dumfries and Glasgow would pay £4,674 a year, an increase of £74.
T h e r i s e w o u l d a l s o s e e j o u r n e ys f r o m Twe e d b a n k t o E d i n b u r g h i n c r e a s e b y £ 35 to £ 2, 947, L o c ke r b i e to Edinburgh up £70 to £4,470 and Elgin to Inverness would see a hike of £49 to £ 3 , 1 2 9. According to Labour, the rise would mean fares in peak regulated fares have risen by 56 per cent since the SNP came t o power in 2007.
S cottish Lab our transp or t s p o ke s p e r s o n C o l i n S my t h said: “Rail costs have spiralled since the SNP came to power and another rip-off fare hike will hit people hard at a time m a ny f a m i l i e s a r e a l r e a dy struggling.
“T h e S N P g o v e r n m e n t should commit now freezing fares for the foreseeable future while the country gets back on its feet. Inflation-busting price hikes only serve to punish passengers and will do little to encourage people back onto using public transport when we begin to move out of the pandemic.”
However, SNP Government q u a n g o T r a n s p o r t S c o t - land said Scottish fares were a fifth of the price cheaper than t hose in the rest of Britain.