Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government meets regularly with local authorities and relevant stakeholders to discuss integrated ticketing.

Since September, meetings have been held with the following organisations, specifically about integrated ticketing:

Confederation of Passenger Transport,

SESTRAN,

One Ticket (a local authority/operator JVC),

First ScotRail,

NESTRAN,

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport,

Orkney Islands Council/HITRANS,

Dumfries and Galloway Council, and

Dundee City Council.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28240 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28240 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28240 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Around two-thirds of Scotland''s bus fleet is now equipped with smartcard enabled ticket machines, funded by the Scottish Government. The remainder of the rollout programme should be concluded by March 2010. We expect this to form the technical platform for integrated ticketing on buses.

On rail, a pilot scheme is underway on the Glasgow to Edinburgh route, again funded by the Scottish Government as part of the current ScotRail Franchise Agreement.

The Scottish Government has also funded provision of key back office systems, hosted by Transport Scotland, which are necessary to facilitate integrated ticketing and will make these available to local authorities and other partners who wish to develop integrated ticketing schemes.

The Scottish Government announced its decision not to proceed with the Glasgow Airport Rail Link to the Scottish Parliament, in the first instance, on 17 September 2009 as part of the 2010-11 Budget proposals. The Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee was advised on the same day. The Scottish Government is working closely with the organising committee and the other games partners to ensure that effective transport planning for the games is in place.

No further meetings of the High Level Forum have taken place since 11 March 2008, the actions from which were published in the Buses for Scotland: Progress through Partnership Forum Report, available in the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre (Bib. number 49265). The Scottish Government has delivered on its commitments from the High Level Forum, including the publication of a suite of best practice guidance for local authorities including Bus Route Development Grant, bus information, Punctuality Improvement Partnerships, statutory Quality Partnerships and a Park and Ride Framework for buses.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing stakeholder arrangements for bus policy. Future meetings of the High Level Forum will form part of these considerations.

No further meetings of the High Level Forum have taken place since 11 March 2008, the actions from which were published in the Buses for Scotland: Progress through Partnership Forum Report, available in the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre (Bib. number 49265). The Scottish Government has delivered on its commitments from the High Level Forum, including the publication of a suite of best practice guidance for local authorities including Bus Route Development Grant, bus information, Punctuality Improvement Partnerships, statutory Quality Partnerships and a Park and Ride Framework for buses.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing stakeholder arrangements for bus policy. Future meetings of the High Level Forum will form part of these considerations.

No further meetings of the High Level Forum have taken place since 11 March 2008, the actions from which were published in the Buses for Scotland: Progress through Partnership Forum Report available in the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre (Bib. number 49265). The Scottish Government has delivered on its commitments from the High Level Forum, including the publication of a suite of best practice guidance for local authorities including Bus Route Development Grant, bus information, Punctuality Improvement Partnerships, statutory Quality Partnerships and a Park and Ride Framework for buses.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing stakeholder arrangements for bus policy. Future meetings of the High Level Forum will form part of these considerations.

No further meetings of the High Level Forum have taken place since 11 March 2008, the actions from which were published in the Buses for Scotland: Progress through Partnership Forum Report, available in the Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre (Bib. number 49265). The Scottish Government has delivered on its commitments from the High Level Forum, including the publication of a suite of best practice guidance for local authorities including Bus Route Development Grant, bus information, Punctuality Improvement Partnerships, statutory Quality Partnerships and a Park and Ride Framework for buses.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing stakeholder arrangements for bus policy. Future meetings of the High Level Forum will form part of these considerations.