Higher fares put millions off the buses

‘Forced to travel by other means’

SOARING fares have led to a drop in bus passengers, it emerged yesterday.

Official figures show there were 108million fewer journeys in 2018-19, compared with 2007-08, when the SNP took power.

At the same time, the average fare has increased by twice the rate of inflation.

Scottish Labour successfully amended the Government’s Transport (Scotland) Bill this year to lift a ban on local councils running bus services. The party is now calling on the SNP to help local authorities fund public transport schemes.

Department for Transport figures show there were 487million bus journeys in Scotland in 2007-08. Last year, only 380million were recorded. Over the same period, the average bus fare rose from £1 to £1.75.

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Colin Smyth said: ‘The commuters of Scotland are now left in a situation where the cost of bus travel is actively forcing them to travel by other means, possibly leading to an increase in the use of cars.’

Ministers have also been accused of neglecting the country’s bus network in favour of funding railways and trunk roads. According to figures published in the Scottish Sun, SNP funding for bus services now stands at around £60million a year, compared with £417million invested in ScotRail in 2019-20.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: ‘We are bringing forward longterm funding of more than half a billion pounds for a Bus Partnership Fund for local authorities and to roll out infrastructure for the trunk road network to prioritise buses in congested areas, helping improve punctuality and reliability.

‘In addition, more than a third of bus passengers already benefit from free services.’

The figures came as Stagecoach announced a New Year promotion offering commuters across Scotland one week’s free bus travel. The offer will be available on four-week tickets purchased online in January.