Meeting of the Parliament 11 September 2025
We are considering capped fares, and we are still working up where that pilot will be. A number of members across the Parliament have been asking for it to be in their area—I accept that everybody wants it to be in their area. As for what happens beyond the age of 22, I have asked officials to consider that, too. Do people simply drop out of using buses? How does it work? There is constant evaluation of our travel system in Scotland.
Another thing that was asked for was to have things linked up—that is, to have connectivity between modes of travel. We have our eyes set on that, too. For example, how do we ensure that ferries are timed with trains and buses, ensuring connectivity across all sectors?
Graham Simpson said that we must create a fairer system. I go back to the fact that all the powers of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 have now been delivered to local authorities, in order to deliver exactly that. It is all about the fairness in the system, so that the local authority, or the transport authority, that desires to do something in its communities has the ability to do so.
In 2024-25, we committed more than £100 million across a number of infrastructure programmes involving walking, wheeling and cycling. One of the other asks from the Youth Parliament has been about active travel, which is really important. “Dear Scotland’s Future” provides a vision in that respect; in the future, there will be far more walking, wheeling and cycling. That is why there has been a commitment of £180 million-plus for the active travel budget—to ensure that we make that future available to the young people who are telling us what they want.
I cannot commend those young people highly enough for their engagement, and I encourage every member across the Parliament to keep that engagement going, because they are the future of Scotland.
13:32 Meeting suspended.