Question reference: S4W-21122
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 13 May 2014
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Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 May 2014
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its initial position was regarding concessionary travel access to the Edinburgh trams project for people living outwith the City of Edinburgh Council area and for what reason tram travel will no longer be covered by the national concessionary travel scheme for all travellers in Scotland.
Answer
In agreeing to provide substantial funding for the introduction of the Edinburgh trams project in 2007, the Scottish Government made clear that no further subsidy would be provided once the network was commissioned and that it was making no commitment at that time to include tram travel within the national concessionary travel scheme. This is consistent with the approach to other non-bus schemes such as the Glasgow Subway and Scottish rail travel.
The Scottish Government, through the national concessionary travel scheme funds Scotland-wide free bus travel for older and eligible disabled people. The scheme is based around free bus travel as it is the most widely available mode of transport in Scotland. Local authorities can if they wish, offer their resident cardholders concessionary transport schemes for modes other than bus. Any local authority that chooses to operate local concessionary transport schemes is responsible for the administration and funding of these schemes.