By Bill Heaney
The SNP’s decision to scrap its peak fares pilot has been branded “senseless” as figures reveal a huge jump in passengers during the pilot.
Analysis by Scottish Labour has revealed that peak time travel during the pilot was almost 40 per cent higher than the same period the previous year.
Scottish Labour said this sharp increase showed how many people were being priced out of rail.
The party said that the pilot was a success despite being “sabotaged” by SNP incompetence, with cuts to services and a decision not to advertise threatening the success of the scheme.
ScotRail introduced a temporary timetable in the middle of the pilot which cut hundreds of services a day, and the operator admitted that it “deliberately did not do any paid advertising” as it was concerned about the risk of overcrowding.
Scottish Labour Net Zero spokesperson Sarah Boyack, pictured left being interviewed by Bill Heaney, of The Democrat, said “This is another blow to the SNP’s senseless decision to hike rail fares for working people.
“This pilot was a rare success story from an SNP government typically mired in chaos and failure.
“This scheme has been sabotaged by SNP incompetence at every turn, but peak-time passenger numbers have still soared.
“It’s clear eye-watering rail fares have forced people off of peak-time trains – and now thousands of Scots are at risk of once again being priced out of their daily commute, forced back into cars and stuck in traffic jams.
“The SNP is already ditching its climate targets, and now it is rowing back on measures that would help us get back on track.
“Scotland deserves affordable, reliable, green rail services – but the SNP appears to have given up on rail and abandoned climate leadership.”
|
|
ScotRail Passenger numbers |
|
|
Peak time |
Total |
|
|
Pilot period (Oct 2023 to July 2024) |
35,009,817 |
68,406,116 |
|
Oct 2022 to July 2023 |
25,250,045 |
59,067,537 |
|
Change |
39% |
16% |
Source: Scottish Labour FOI, available on request.
“ScotRail scaled back advertising in case peak fares suspension caused overcrowding”: https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/scotrail-scaled-back-advertising-in-case-peak-fares-suspension-caused-overcrowding-4455318
Sell less at more or sell more at less – that seems to be the question.
On the face of it the trial period seems to have been an absolute success. More passengers at all times is more people off the road, saving traffic congestion, reducing fuel burn, benefiting the environment.
But what of the income side. The traffic modellers, income modellers appear to have decided to have less people travelling but more income from peak fare travel. Not good for those who have to travel on peak times for work and not good for the environment and the travelling public.
In the absence of seeing the figures the swingeing peak time fare increases will potentially deliver greater returns to the government than the dislocation of passengers, where they can, into an off peak lower price tariff period, or outright reduction in paying passengers. These are the numbers, the predictions that people need to see, because that is what lies behind this decision.
Big problem for folks is that, aside of the fare increases, the politicos don’t do detail. All headline ya boo sniping and no real detail. But yes, on the face of this, these fare increases seem a very retrograde step as the above quoted numbers would suggest.
Ah well, just wait till the Labour party rock back the bus pass in England. That will be an utterly retrograde step and then some. And could it be the same here is Scotland. Johann Lamont is already postulating the possibility of ending free prescriptions, free education, concession travel and other similar.
No doubt the utterly uninformed knuckle draggers will continue to cry that too many are getting something for nothing. Like all the millionaire pensioners who are getting heating allowance and don’t need it. That’s about ten million pensioners actually.
But these are the things people truly need to consider and maybe I should add the proposals to bring back the bridge tolls and the hospital car parking charges.
Just one interesting point on the above quoted numbers for the before and after periods where off peak fares were reduced.
If you take away the off peak travellers from the total travellers you will see that off peak travel within the periods remained virtually the same at 33,397,000 and 33,817,00. So no change in off peak.
However when you do the same sum for the peak travellers you will see that peak travellers increased from 25,250,000 to 35,009,000 which is very substantial 39% increase. So peak travel has gone up with almost certainly those numbers coming off the roads.
Having caught these passengers who through early travel are most almost certainly workers it becomes clear that this price increase is focussed to increase the burden of working folks.
Not good I’d venture. Not good at all.