This odd storyline for a kids’ show has become representative of the transport network today, so unaffordable for so many that trains and buses might as well be out of sight and out of service.
You wait ages for a transport policy announcement from the Scottish government and then two come along at once. Firstly, they announced last week they were scrapping a £2 million pilot to provide free bus travel for asylum seekers. Proposed last October, the project, slated to launch at the end of the year, would have offered a lifeline to people surviving on less than £50 a week.
Free travel reduces isolation, enhan-ces integration and improves health and wellbeing for asylum seekers, Ekta Marwaha, chief executive of Refugee Sanctuary Scotland, told Big Issue. “It is concerning and disappointing to hear this news and we are sorry to all the asylum seekers who had been shown a glimpse of hope for the future.”
Then came the cancellation of peak-time fares being scrapped on Scotrail services. That scheme had been running since last October, cutting the costs on all lines during the busiest times. For example, the rush hour price of a return between Edinburgh and Glasgow almost halved from £28.90 to £14.90. When peak fares return in September, thanks to inflation, the 50-minute journey will cost £31.40. For those commuting five days a week, that’s an extra £330 per month.
The most expensive commuter routes inevitably run into London, the average return fare being £52.90. That’s the equivalent of 54 days’ pay spent on getting to work each year. Public transport should be the default option, but this shift requires not just investment but commitment.
Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish transport secretary, said that scrapping peak-time fares had been a “limited success”, reporting an increase in passenger numbers of 6.8%, but that 10% was required for the policy to be self-financing.
But how many commuters would have ditched their cars based on a pilot scheme that could have been – and has been – dropped within months? Only long-term guarantees will improve faith in and use of public transport.
Manchester took bus services back into public control last year. Other areas are looking to do likewise. In Scotland bus travel remains free for people 22 and under, at least for now.
Commitment has to come from the top. See what works in different parts of the UK or around the world and replicate. If the government is serious about boosting productivity and getting more people into work – jobs with salaries that may not cover exorbitant travel costs – it’s essential.
There’s reliability issues and ongoing staff disputes causing disruption, but those too would be solved by reinvigorated commitment. But it must be affordable. A public transport system that doesn’t work for vast swathes of the public may as well not run at all.
For those worried about Henry rusting in that tunnel, he was eventually allowed out one day when Gordon needed help pulling the big express.
Steven MacKenzie is deputy editor of the Big Issue. Follow him on Twitter.
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