Fair Prices for Public Transport
We want to see the Road Equivalent Tariff trial extended to all modes of public transport. We strongly support the principle that public transport trips should not be more expensive than equivalent journeys by private car.
We want to see a fair price for public transport use, and as such have welcomed the Scottish Government’s trial of Road Equivalent Tariff for ferry journeys on some Hebridean ferry services.
But we see no reason why the Government should stop there. If it’s appropriate for ferry travelers then it should be implemented for all other public transport users.
It is unfortunately true that, for many trips, it is more expensive (and often considerably more expensive) to travel by public transport than it is to use a private car. It is also established practice to charge public transport users more at peak hours - something that road users avoid completely.
This is a totally unsustainable state of affairs, and one which penalises low income groups - as they depend disproportionately on public transport for their travel needs. How can society credibly expect people to choose more expensive modes of transport - even if they happen to be the more sustainable ways of travel?
One way of making the price of public transport more competitive with car travel would be to make the latter pay for its massive external economic, environmental and social costs. But there currently seems to be no appetite for this in Scotland, and the proposals for a UK road charging scheme seems to being being perpetually delayed by the UK Government.
So, failing progress on this front, the only way forward seems to be for Government intervention to ensure that public transport users do not have to pay more than private car users for their travel.