Scottish Greens co leader Ross Greer has announced plans to deliver free bus travel for everyone in Scotland, funded through higher taxes on the super rich and large corporations.
Speaking at the party’s Spring Conference in Glasgow, Greer said the policy would build on the existing scheme that has seen more than 250 million free journeys taken by under 22 year olds.
He said the success of the current programme showed that free public transport can transform lives and open up opportunity.
Ross Greer said:
“We need to show that our policies and our vision aren’t just good for the planet.
“Greens will save people money as well.
“We will make their lives easier.
“We have a track record to prove it.
“We delivered free bus travel for every young person in Scotland.
“Hundreds of millions of journeys have been taken since.
“This has transformed the lives of so many people in our communities.”
“It’s given them the opportunity to take up university and college courses they wouldn’t have otherwise.
“To get job opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
“To see friends and family and to see more of this country.
“In fact, free bus travel for young people has been such a success that we want to go further.
“So our manifesto will commit to delivering free bus travel for everyone in Scotland.
“And we’ll provide it on a bus network that has been brought back under public control, ending that failed experiment.
“We will bring to an end the four decades of failure that is the privatisation of the bus network.”
Greer also drew a political contrast with Scottish Labour, referring to reports of a six figure donation from the Easdale brothers, who own McGills bus company and have opposed public ownership of the network.
“What an incredible contrast there is between that and a Scottish Labour Party that has just taken a six-figure donation from the Easdale brothers, the owners of McGills bus company and leading opponents of public ownership of our bus network.”
The proposal would represent one of the most significant expansions of public transport policy in recent years, placing the cost of funding on higher earners and corporations while promising free access for all passengers.
With the Holyrood election approaching, transport, public ownership and the cost of living are once again shaping the political battleground across Scotland.
