(Image: Newsquest)
The Scottish Greens are calling for the £2 bus fare cap to be extended to night buses in the west of Scotland, arguing that late-night workers should not have to pay more simply because of the hours they work.
Premium-fare night services are generally excluded from the Scottish Government’s £2 bus fare cap because they are classed as “premium fare services”, alongside services such as tour buses and private hire.
However, McGill’s six Glasgow NightBus routes were brought into the scheme earlier this month following discussions with Transport Scotland.
The Strathclyde scheme covers Glasgow as well as East and West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North and South Lanarkshire, North and South Ayrshire and parts of Argyll and Bute.
The Greens say the night bus exclusion means people travelling home late from work or nights out are missing out on the cheaper fares available across the rest of the network.
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Scottish Green MSP Holly Bruce has urged ministers to change the rules and said it was “ridiculous” to treat getting home safely at night as a premium.
She raised the issue at General Questions in the Scottish Parliament last week, asking what discussions Transport Scotland had held with bus operators over extending the fare cap to night services in Glasgow.
Business and Fair Work Minister Tom Arthur said the Transport Secretary had asked Transport Scotland to engage with operators on the issue.
The £2 cap, which was secured by the Scottish Greens during budget negotiations in 2024, was initially introduced in the Highlands and Islands before being extended to Strathclyde in September.
Under the current scheme, single adult and child fares are capped at £2 on participating eligible services.
Transport Scotland confirms that “premium fare services” are excluded, specifically including night services.
Ms Bruce said: “I’m proud that the Scottish Greens fought hard for the introduction of the £2 bus fare cap, which is now directly taking some pressure off household budgets and tackling the climate crisis.
“I’m disappointed, however, that night buses are not included in the £2 cap, and I’m calling for this to be changed as soon as possible.
“The notion that getting home safely - whether from work or a night out with friends - is a ‘premium’, is ridiculous.
“These services are a lifeline for anyone who works late, and in particular for women, who already have to face so much stress around getting home in the dark, never mind when our public transport services are unaffordable and infrequent.”
She added: “Workers should not have to pay more to get home simply because of the shift that they work.
“Whether hospitality workers, cleaners, NHS workers, carers, or anyone else, we all just want to get home easily at the end of a long day.
“The £2 bus fare cap is the next step towards a public transport system that is accessible and free for everyone – that must include those who use night bus services.”
Transport Scotland, however, has warned that extending the scheme to premium-fare night services could require changes to secondary legislation and take up to a year.
A spokesperson said: “Any change to make night services charging premium fares eligible would require changes to secondary legislation and could take up to 12 months to progress the legislative changes and to operationalise.
“It would also have to be considered in line with existing priorities and available budgets, as well as operators’ willingness to offer these services as part of the scheme.”
The Scottish Government said it remained committed to introducing a £2 bus fare cap across Scotland by the end of the current parliamentary term and would announce further rollout timescales to MSPs “in due course”.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is delivering a £2 Bus Fare Cap to make bus travel more affordable, support households with everyday costs and encourage greater use of public transport.
“We remain committed to bringing forward legislation for a £2 Bus Fare Cap across Scotland by the end of this parliament. We plan to we roll out the bus fare cap to the rest of the country at the earliest possible opportunity and that will be a priority for the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport. We will announce timescales for further rollout to Parliament in due course.”
Transport Scotland says participation in the cap is voluntary and operators are reimbursed for part of the difference between the usual fare and the £2 paid by passengers. In Strathclyde, the reimbursement rate is currently 90%.
The Scottish Government has also committed to legislating for a nationwide £2 bus fare cap before the end of the current parliamentary term, although no full rollout timetable has yet been confirmed.