Hansard

It is a real honour to open this important members’ business debate on the contribution of the Scottish Youth Parliament to our evolving transport system. I extend my heartfelt thanks to colleagues who supported securing time for the debate, because ensuring that Scotland’s young people have access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport is vital to their wellbeing, social inclusion and future opportunities.

I was motivated to lodge the motion after attending a meeting of the cross-party group on sustainable transport. At that meeting, MSYPs shared first-hand experiences, especially from rural, island and Lothian communities, highlighting barriers that relate directly to the lived realities of young Scots.

One young person’s words resonated deeply with me:

“The young people’s free bus pass is great, but it’s not much use if there isn’t a bus to use it on.”

All of us should reflect on that comment.

The SYP’s transport, environment and rural affairs committee has been working hard on the matter, championing issues such as rural infrastructure deficits, accessibility for disabled young people and safety at bus stops and on vehicles. Its timely and considered interventions remind us that policy must be grounded in lived experience if it is to serve our communities well. That committee truly represents the voices of our future in terms of transport and how much is needed to give young people the access that they deserve.

Young people need access to transport to live their lives to the full, whether it is to access education, to access sports and leisure, to visit friends or family, or to get to and from work. For all of those activities, they need accessible, affordable and reliable public transport.

This week, we have had a Scottish Youth Parliament stall that MSPs have been able to visit. MSYPs have been giving us copies of their manifesto, “Dear Scotland’s Future: For Young People. By Young People.”, which reflects the voices of nearly 5,000 young people across all 32 local authorities, including a strong input from the Lothians. The manifesto places sustainable transport and a “just and fairer Scotland” at its core, not as an aspiration, but as an immediate priority. The manifesto says:

“Transport Scotland and public transport companies should ensure that public transport services are accessible and reliable for young people across Scotland, particularly those living in rural areas.”

We had an excellent debate in the chamber this week about Scotland’s railways. We need to build on the successes that we have had over the Parliament’s life, such as the Airdrie to Bathgate railway, the Larkhall to Milngavie railway, the Stirling to Alloa railway, the Borders railway and the reopening of the Levenmouth rail link in June 2024, which has reconnected communities to Edinburgh and promises young people in Fife improved access for commuting, study and social participation—something that can happen only if we get safe and reliable transportation throughout the country.

There are also plans to progress the decarbonisation of the network, but we know that there is much more to be done to increase capacity in our public transport services. Hundreds of bus services have been lost in recent years. As reports from Audit Scotland and the Climate Change Committee have stated, Scotland’s ambition to reduce car usage by 20 per cent by 2030 is off track. However, achieving that is critical if we are to deliver the change that young people need for a safe future, given the increasingly negative impacts of the climate and nature emergencies that we see in extreme weather, wildfires, excessive heat and flooding.

Some progress has been made, with 203 miles of walking, wheeling and cycling routes having been added last year, but overall funding for active travel has fallen significantly in the 2025-26 budget. It is precisely in that context, where policy ambition, climate commitments and young people’s lived experience intersect, that the SYP’s work becomes essential. Its advocacy on accessibility, safety, affordability, inclusion and co-design is not just relevant—it is vital.

Young people need bus services that they can use in their communities. As the SYP’s manifesto says,

“Supported public transport is essential for young people to live their lives freely.”

I know that I need to move towards a conclusion. Let us reaffirm the critical message: the Scottish Youth Parliament has not just identified failings in our transport system; it is calling for action with practical, inclusive and future-focused solutions. Young people need to be involved in shaping our transport services. I found it inspiring to hear from the Welsh Youth Parliament at our recent Commonwealth Parliamentary Association regional conference in Cardiff, and from young women at our CPA regional women’s conference in the Scottish Parliament earlier this year.

The SYP’s manifesto calls for accessible, equitable transport, safer infrastructure, more reliable rural services and the extension of free travel to under-26s, all underpinned by youth participation at every stage. The SYP also asks to be involved in local and national decisions to create a public transport system with equal access for all, reducing geographic inequalities and barriers that prevent young people from accessing the system. It challenges all parties to translate that energy and evidence into action to invest in reliable and local rural services, active travel and inclusive design, to ensure that safety and accessibility are built in and are core to public transport planning, and to have staff to keep people safe across our bus and rail services. It challenges all parties to embed youth voices in co-design, policy, delivery and oversight in order to bridge the gaps that are holding young people back—from the Lothians to our islands, and from urban to rural communities—and to create joined-up and sustainable transport.

I urge the Scottish Government, in the final months of this parliamentary session, to say what will happen following our cross-party group’s recommendations in “Mind the Gap: Tackling Transport Inequalities in Scotland”, from earlier this year, and to listen to the SYP’s manifesto on what can be done now. We need to listen to our young people’s experiences in order to build transport not just for them but with them and to create a system that unlocks opportunities, builds bridges and advances decarbonisation. That would enable them to use low-carbon travel options on a daily basis, and it would deliver the fairer Scotland that is called for by the SYP and that our young people richly deserve.