WIREDGOV

Affordable bus travel in the west of Scotland.

Most bus passengers across Strathclyde can now benefit from the £2 Bus Fare Cap, making public transport more affordable for communities across much of the west of Scotland.

The rollout marks the next major step in the Scottish Government's commitment to expand the £2 fare cap beyond the Highlands and Islands and towards a nationwide £2 Bus Fare Cap – supporting people with everyday travel costs while encouraging greater use of public transport.

The cap applies across participating bus services throughout Strathclyde, covering Glasgow, Ayrshire, Inverclyde, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire.

First Minister John Swinney said:

"The cost of living remains one of the biggest challenges facing households across Scotland, so making public transport more affordable is all the more an important.

"The launch of the £2 Bus Fare Cap across Strathclyde means that more people can get where they need to go with more money in their pocket – that is clear action to help people save money during a cost of living crisis.

"Following the successful rollout across the Highlands and Islands, this expansion is the next major step towards our ambition of delivering a national rollout of £2 bus fares, ensuring they apply in every area in Scotland.

"Bus travel remains the most widely used form of public transport in Scotland and we are working to make it as affordable, accessible and attractive as possible. This is vital to grow the economy, travel sustainably and protect the planet.”

The rollout across Strathclyde covers a significant proportion of Scotland's population and the Scottish Government has worked closely with bus operators, regional transport partnerships and delivery organisations to introduce the fare cap and ensure passengers can benefit from simpler, more affordable bus travel.

Andy Cullen, Regional Director of First Bus in Scotland, said:

“We look forward to welcoming our regular customers on board and seeing more people discover the value of using the bus in their daily travel across Glasgow and the wider region.

“We will continue to work in partnership with the government to ensure the £2 fare cap is a success and reinforces the important role of buses in keeping people, families and communities connected to jobs, education, training, healthcare and leisure.”

Background

The £2 Bus Fare Cap means participating operators in the Strathclyde region will charge no more than £2 for eligible single bus journeys.

A list of participating operators is available on the Transport Scotland website. This will be updated regularly as more providers finalise arrangements to deliver the £2 price cap

By the end of the Parliament, the Scottish Government will take forward legislation to put in place a £2 bus fare cap across Scotland. These timescales will be announced in due course.