Thuggery on buses could lead to free travel passes being withdrawn.
By Bill Heaney
Are you a smart ass who thinks it’s okay to cause trouble on public transport?
Well, if you are then you can expect to lose your free bus pass and any concessions you may have on the train.
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, told the Holyrood parliament: “The vast majority of passengers who travel under the national concessionary travel scheme behave appropriately.
“However, a minority of people of all ages abuse their entitlement, which includes committing offences. That can result in serious harm to bus employees and passengers, which is simply not acceptable.
“Bus operators can already restrict their services in line with their conditions of carriage, and Transport Scotland has prioritised work with operators and other stakeholders to develop further sanctions, including the removal of passes and taking preventative measures.”
Former Tory transport spokesperson Graham Simpson told her: “I think that the cabinet secretary has the powers to do something, so will she confirm that? Will she agree to meet unions whose members are affected by such antisocial behaviour? Will she put a timescale on taking action?”
Ms Hyslop assured him she would be meeting the trade unions as early as that afternoon and continue talks with them.
She added, however: “The legislation that underpins the national concessionary travel scheme does not make specific provision for removing access to the scheme when it is misused—for example, if someone fraudulently allows another person to use their card. We are working on that, which might require changes to the main scheme.”
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Christine Grahame, Graham Simpson and Willie Rennie.
Veteran MSP Christine Grahame said she “I initially shared Graham Simpson’s concerns, but I have to say that, in recent months, matters have settled down on the buses with the under-22 concessionary scheme.
“I would be pleased if the cabinet secretary could keep the Parliament informed of any changes to that scheme, such as changes to bring in penalties or provisions to remove cards, if necessary.”
Ms Hyslop assured her: “I will keep members informed of any progress. In Scotland, we aim to promote an agenda whereby children are prevented from getting involved in offending behaviour and are supported effectively when they do so.
“A range of measures to prevent and tackle antisocial behaviour on buses is available. Experience with ScotRail shows that body-worn cameras play an important role in deterring antisocial and criminal behaviour, and we are actively considering how that learning can apply to the bus network.”
LibDem Willie Rennie was far from sanguine about the situation. He said: “I have witnessed some shocking behaviour on buses from people of all ages, and drivers have told me just how bad it can get. Has the transport secretary assessed the impact of that behaviour on passenger numbers? If not, when will she manage to do that?”
The Transport Secretary said that might be difficult. She added: “The young persons free bus pass for under-22s has, in effect, saved the bus system in many ways. The pandemic resulted in a collapse in patronage and in older people not coming back to buses as much.
“We need to recognise that the scheme has been a success for young people and for the bus companies but, where there has been antisocial behaviour, we need to introduce different measures. Monitoring patronage is an important part of that.”
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