Question reference: S5W-32535
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 14 October 2020
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Current status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 October 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial help it is providing to support bus travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
The Scottish Government is maintaining concessionary travel reimbursement and Bus Service Operator Grant payments at pre COVID-19 levels where we would normally spend over £260 million.
Since 22 June we have also provided additional financial support for bus services in Scotland and on 14 October I announced that this has been extended until 17 January 2021. This funding of up to £162.3 million over 30 weeks fills the gap between additional costs of operating services due to COVID-19 and severely reduced ticket income due to reduced demand and capacity constraints as a result of social distancing requirements on board buses.
Further details on funding to support bus services are available on the Transport Scotland website: https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/covid-19-support-grant/