The future of Scotland’s bus network was back in the spotlight at First Minister’s Questions as calls were made to expand the £2 bus fare cap beyond the Highlands and Islands.
Scottish Greens co leader Ross Greer urged First Minister John Swinney to extend the scheme across the country, arguing that families and commuters could benefit from lower travel costs during the ongoing cost of living pressures.
The £2 fare cap was introduced in the Highlands and Islands following negotiations between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government.
Supporters of the scheme say it has helped reduce travel costs for passengers while encouraging greater use of public transport.
During exchanges in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Greer highlighted the savings being made by some commuters and called for the cap to be expanded nationally.
Ross Greer said:
“I was pleased during the election campaign to meet people across the Highlands and islands who are now saving a fortune thanks to the £2 bus fare cap secured by the Scottish Greens through negotiations with the Government.
“Someone commuting from Elgin to Inverness today is saving £16.80 a day on that journey.
“Expanding this £2 cap nationwide was in both the Green and SNP manifestos, in our case as a transitional step towards universal free bus travel.
“With the school holidays coming up and families looking for affordable days out when the cost of petrol is skyrocketing, expanding this cap should be a top priority for the Government.
“Does the First Minister agree with the Scottish Greens that more families should be able to enjoy £2 bus fares this summer?”
The First Minister responded by indicating his support for the principle of expanding the scheme and said the Scottish Government’s priority would be extending the fare cap into the west of Scotland.
Mr Greer also used the parliamentary exchange to raise wider questions about the ownership of Scotland’s bus network.
Ross Greer said:
“Forty years after Thatcher privatised the bus network many communities just don’t have the services they need.
“Fare prices have gone up but routes have disappeared, leaving people isolated and holding our economy back.
“At the same time a handful of private bus company owners have become obscenely rich.
“Some have made so much money from being bus company operators that they can afford to set fire to a pile of their own cash by writing hundred grand cheques to the Scottish Labour Party.
“The Scottish Greens proposed bringing our buses back into public ownership through a bus bonds scheme.
“But the SNP manifesto was silent on ownership.
“Does the First Minister not agree that it’s time to end the failed experiment of privatised buses?
“And will he work with the Scottish Greens to bring Scotland’s bus services back under public control?”
In his response, Mr Swinney expressed sympathy for proposals aimed at increasing public control over bus services, while reiterating support for expanding the £2 fare cap.
The debate highlights the growing political focus on public transport as parties set out competing visions for improving connectivity, affordability and access to services across Scotland.
