• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Transform Scotland

Transform Scotland

  • About Us
        • Our team
        • Our members
        • Contact us
        • About us

  • Our Priorities
        • Safe places for active travel
        • Zero-carbon connectivity
        • Zero-carbon public transport
        • Zero-carbon investment
        • Fair transport pricing
        • Our priorties

  • Our Work
        • Publications
        • Our projects
        • A Wee Walk
        • Consultancy
        • Cross Party Group
        • Our work

  • Latest
        • News
        • Alerts
        • Events
        • Latest

  • Join us
  • Donate

Spring Statement does nothing for public transport users. What about the third of households without a car?

23 March 2022

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Commenting on today’s Spring Statement, Transform director Colin Howden said:

“Today’s Spring Statement does absolutely nothing for public transport users. The Chancellor clearly thinks that everyone has a car. What about the third of households who have no access to a car?

“Fuel tax cuts disproportionately benefit the wealthiest people in society. [1] This fuel tax cut comes after a decade where the UK Government has chosen to freeze fuel duty while increasing rail fares above inflation every year.

“Cutting fuel taxes is a depressingly short-sighted response from the UK Government. Putin’s war is financed by oil sales yet the Chancellor’s response is to subsidise private car use.

“It’s very clear that the UK Government prefers continued reliance on fossil fuel use. We need instead to urgently follow the action demanded this week by the United Nations’ Secretary-General and get out of oil in order to avoid ‘mutually assured destruction’ through climate change. [2]

“The Chancellor could have decided to cut public transport fares. To help lower-income households dependent on cars, governments should lower income taxes, increase mobility allowances or simply issue cash cheques to those who need it. Instead, we have a blanket cut in fuel taxes which disproportionately benefits richer motorists driving larger, more polluting vehicles.”

NOTES:

[1] New research published this week by Transport and Environment has found that this cut will actually result in the ‘richest 10% of drivers [receiving] eight times more in fuel tax cuts than the poorest, on average, because they consume far more fuel… Wealthier motorists drive more, often alone, and with larger, more polluting vehicles’. See https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/taxpayers-face-e9bn-bill-for-fuel-tax-cuts-skewed-towards-the-rich-study-finds/

[2] BBC (21/03/22) ‘Climate change: ‘Madness’ to turn to fossil fuels because of Ukraine war’. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60815547

Featured NewsCars Equalities Public transport

Share

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn
Back to Latest

Latest posts

‘Mind the Gap’: New inquiry reports transport system excluding majority of Scots

17 June 2025

A new report published today (Tuesday 17 June) by the Cross Party Group on Sustainable Transport reveals that Scotland’s transport system is systematically excluding many Scots — especially women, disabled…

Read more

NewsActive Travel Equalities Investment Policy Public transport

A new traffic reduction policy: Our response

13 June 2025

Transport Scotland has released a new policy statement after its 20% car traffic reduction target was called into question, Public affairs manager Laura Hyde-White said: We welcome the Government’s continued…

Read more

NewsPublic transport

Scottish bus manufacturing jobs on the line: Our response

12 June 2025

In today’s First Minister’s Questions, MSPs are discussing the news that up to 400 jobs are at risk at Scottish bus maker Alexander Dennis. The company plans to close down…

Read more

NewsPublic transport

UK Spending Review funds must be prioritised for scottish Public Transport

11 June 2025

Today’s UK Spending Review, including the announcement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves of £15.6 billion in new investment for local transport infrastructure in England, marks a major step forward for public…

Read more

NewsInvestment Public transport

Sign up for email updates

We'll send you news on our work, plus other updates about how you can get involved in Scotland's campaign for sustainable transport.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Cookies policy
  • Credits
  • Accessibility
  • Work for us
  • Leave a legacy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

© 2025 Transform Scotland is a registered Scottish charity (SC041516)