Better Public Transport
We want our public transport system to be one of the best in the world.
We need public transport to become more affordable, more widely available, and of high quality everywhere.
Major improvements must be made to the quality and affordability of public transport if Scotland is to catch up with best practice around the world. There has been progress in this area in recent years, and we need to see a continuation of investment in all forms of public transport – buses, trams, trains and ferries.
High quality public transport is necessary if society is to function successfully, and can help ensure key public policy objectives regarding the environment, social inclusion and the economy are met.
In particular, policy should aim to ensure that public transport achieves a high modal share of all motorised transport and is comprehensively available, enabling wide accessibility to work, education, health, shopping and leisure facilities. For this to happen we need to see priority given for investment in public transport over less sustainable modes of transport.
The move to sustainable transport will require:
- A national public transport smartcard
- Major improvements in the conditions for bus travellers. There needs to be substantial improvements in the waiting and interchange environment, with better information and ticketing systems. The bus operators, for their part, need to ensure high standards, with continuing investment in new cleaner vehicles and good levels of service.
- Expansion of the new tram network for Edinburgh – and for the other Scottish cities to develop their own proposals (whether for metros, tram-trains, trams or trolleybuses). The Edinburgh trams will provide the sort of public transport quality that will get us close to the best public transport systems across Europe – low emissions, accessible, and sustainable.
- A programme of journey times improvements and capacity enhancements (coupled with electrification) to link all Scottish cities by a modern, efficient rail system, in order to significantly improve journey times within the Central Belt, and to Dundee, Aberdeen, Perth & Inverness.
- Transfer of much of the unsustainable levels of Anglo-Scottish air travel to rail. This programme of air-rail substitution has an important role to play in cutting climate change emissions, but would also provide for increases in productivity given the better working environment provided by the train.