Question reference: S6W-02885
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 9 September 2021
-
Current status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 23 September 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has given to ScotRail to ensure that future service provision better meets the needs of people (a) on low incomes and (b) from households without access to a car.
Answer
ScotRail currently offers a range of discounted fares and concessions to reduce the cost of travel for a diverse range of passengers. The Scottish Government will require ScotRail to continue to review how it can offer lower fares to meet the needs of people on low incomes and in response to changing travelling patterns emerging from Covid-19. In addition, the Scottish Government has taken action to minimise the impact on passengers by capping fares increases for regulated ScotRail peak fares at the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI).
Regulated off-peak fare increases are capped at one percent lower than inflation. This means, in Scotland, average fares increases are lower than England. The average fares increase in March 2021 in Scotland was 1.2% compared with 2.6% in England. Overall, fares in Scotland are on average 20% lower than in the rest of Britain.
ScotRail continues to help facilitate a seamless transport network which combines rail journeys with bus, ferries, active travel, other transport modes and through smart and integrated ticketing to improve accessibility to those from households without access to a car.