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.
“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