Ahead of tomorrow’s Programme for Government, we’re calling for a renewed focus on supporting public transport users – starting with urgent investment in bus priority.
Despite repeated commitments to reduce car use and support sustainable transport, the past year has seen several key policies reversed or delayed: the cancellation of the ScotRail peak fares trial, the shelving of flat-fare ticketing proposals, significant cuts to active travel and bus infrastructure funding, and, most recently, the abandonment of Scotland’s world-leading commitment to cutting car traffic.
These choices don’t just undermine our climate ambitions – they damage public confidence in the Government’s commitment to public transport.
We want to see the Government prioritising public transport users in tomorrow’s PfG.
Our recent work, Life in the Bus Lane, has shown strong public backing for bus priority, not just from current passengers but from the wider public. Where action has been taken the benefits have been clear (such as in Aberdeen, where a combination of bus lanes and gates have cut journey times by up to 25%).
Yet delivery remains slow and inconsistent. Of the £500 million pledged for bus priority, less over 5% of this has been invested during the past five years.
We’re pleased to see the Government recognises the need to speed up bus services with a new Bus Infrastructure Fund announced in the Scottish Budget, but there are still no details on how it will be allocated or delivered.
At the same time, the cost of public transport continues to rise faster than the cost of driving.
The off-peak rail fares trial was terminated prematurely while the proposed flat-fare pilot was ditched even before the trial could commence. Both could have made public transport simpler and more attractive. Instead, we’ve seen fare increases and no real incentive for people to leave the car at home.
People will not choose public transport unless it is more affordable, more reliable, and more convenient than the car. As it stands, it is often none of those things.
In tomorrow’s PfG, we want to see:
- A renewed commitment to bus priority, including clarity on the Bus Infrastructure Fund
- Action on fares, including a revived flat-fare trial as previously promised in the Government’s Fair Fares Review.
- Investment in active travel in line with the Government’s commitment to allocating 10% of the transport budget to the healthiest modes
- A credible and funded plan to reduce car traffic
We need better public transport not just for passengers, but for a fairer, healthier, and more resilient society. Buses and trains reduce congestion, cut air pollution, and connect people to jobs, education and healthcare.
And with transport the largest source of emissions, the First Minister’s commitment to ‘tackling the climate emergency’ as one of the Scottish Government’s ‘four key priorities’ will only be met if his government delivers on its sustainable transport commitments.
Tomorrow’s Programme for Government must set out how the Scottish Government will finally deliver for public transport users.
Commitment to 20% car traffic reduction dropped: Our response
24 April 2025
Public affairs manager Laura Hyde-White responds to the Scottish Government’s decision to drop its car traffic reduction commitment: It is deeply disappointing to see the Government abandon its target to…
‘Life in the Bus Lane’: New report calls for Government action on bus priority
2 April 2025
Transform’s new report ‘Life in the Bus Lane’, published today (Wednesday 2nd), finds that three-quarters of non-bus users appreciate the value of bus priority measures such as bus lanes, bus…
State ownership was the easy bit – now ScotRail needs a plan
27 January 2025
Public affairs manager, Laura Hyde-White, reports on the challenges and opportunities facing ScotRail three years into public ownership. This article was originally written for The Herald and is published in…
Five steps to deliver 20% traffic reduction now
23 September 2024
Policy advisor Nigel Bagshaw outlines five urgent steps to cut Scotland’s road traffic by 20% and meet climate targets. Scotland simply has no choice but to decarbonise transport if it…
