The Scottish Greens have announced plans for a new railcard for Scots which could immediately bring down the cost of rail fares for everyone who lives here.
In Edinburgh this would offer residents significant savings when traveling to popular locations like North Berwick or the Borders Railway and beyond.
The Scottish Railcard would be modelled on the existing Network Rail card in the South East of England, designed to encourage people to take the train rather than drive by reducing the cost of off-peak journeys by a third.
The policy was welcomed by Alison Johnstone the lead candidate for Lothian, who said: “The Scottish Greens are committed to making public transport the preferred choice for all our communities, to reduce the reliance on private cars.
“In the last parliamentary session, our MSPs secured free bus travel for everyone under 22 starting this summer, and we want to build on that by introducing concessionary travel on publicly owned railways too.
“A Scottish railcard would be a quick way to immediately bring down the cost of rail for everyone in Edinburgh. So many of us love to take day trips to places like East Lothian or the Fife Coast or on the Borders Railway, and this simple move will make such a big difference. It is a model which has worked well abroad and in the South East of England, and would help our train services recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If we are going to tackle transport emissions and ensure a green recovery from the pandemic, we need to be proactive in boosting public transport. Our future depends on it.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
