SCOTLAND EXTENDS £2 BUS FARE CAP TO WEST OF COUNTRY

The Scottish Government has extended a scheme capping bus fares at £2 to the west of Scotland, with the policy taking effect on Monday. The fare cap now covers 12 local authority areas including Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire and Inverclyde. First Minister John Swinney announced the expansion as part of his programme for government, stating that the scheme would now benefit over half of Scotland's population. Twenty-five bus operators are currently participating in the Strathclyde scheme, with additional companies expected to join in the coming weeks.

The Scottish Government invested £10 million in a pilot of the scheme, which has operated in the Highlands and Islands for the past year, covering the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland, Moray and Argyll and Bute. Young people aged under 22, those over 60 and disabled people already benefit from free bus travel across Scotland. Transport Scotland will reimburse participating bus operators under the expanded scheme. One bus operator, First Bus, confirmed it would continue working with the government to support the policy's success.

Swinney pledged that the £2 fare cap would be rolled out to the rest of Scotland "at the earliest possible opportunity", though he stated that timing would depend on the Scottish Government's available resources and budgetary choices. The First Minister characterised bus travel as Scotland's most widely used form of public transport and said the fare cap was vital to grow the economy and promote sustainable travel. Bus company Ember expressed support for the scheme's goals but raised concerns about how it would function across non-participating areas. The Scottish Government has committed to extending the scheme across the whole of Scotland by the end of the current parliamentary term.