Fair Fares

Public transport should be less expensive than taking the car.

Our work on Fair Fares aims to rebalance prices to incentivise public transport over driving, to tackle both inequalities and climate change.

This includes examining how affordable public transport fares can be financed, so that bus, train and ferry operators have revenue to reinvest in and improve services.

Why do we need fair fares?

Despite frequent protests from the motoring lobby that drivers are being priced off the road, it is public transport passengers who have seen massive real term fare increases over the past 15 years. Over the last two decades, public transport costs have not only risen relative to costs of driving, but considerably above the rate of inflation.

Disabled people and those on lower incomes are particularly badly affected. Traveling costs more for people with disabilities, and cost is also a huge barrier to accessing public transport for low income households.

Prior to the pandemic, Scottish public transport was already struggling. The increased costs of running services were leading to higher passenger fares, with bus services in particular seeing a decline in patronage. The pandemic exacerbated these problems. Even as car travel recovered to at or above pre-pandemic levels, public transport patronage did not, leaving public transport operators much more dependant on public funding.

Public transport operators are also faced with changing travel patterns and a cost-of-living crisis. Fewer people are travelling during peak hours. Operating costs for public transport are also rising, but raising ticket prices would put unacceptable strain on many people who already struggling to afford their travel costs.

Our actions and impact

Our recommendations to the Scottish Government

In 2021 the Scottish Government decided to set up a Fair Fares Review, to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares.

Our recommendations to the Government’s Review have been widely shared. We have called for:

Affordable fares so that using public transport is cheaper than the cost of driving

A simple, flexible and affordable public transport network that allows disabled people to travel with freedom and independence

Revenue from measures such as road pricing or parking levies to be ring-fenced for funding improvements and subsidies for local public transport services