Don't cut Bus Pass Entitlement

I'm campaigning for better bus services

I was pleased that Dundee City Council spoke with one voice recently against the proposals by the Scottish Government to raise the age for entitlement for free bus passes. (pages 16-33)

The Council has vowed to fight Transport Minister Humza Yousaf’s plan to change the age at which people are eligible for a free bus pass, branding it “unwelcome” because of the city’s “high levels of deprivation”. 

Despite promising to protect the pass in its 2016 manifesto, the SNP Government has cut £9.5 million from the bus pass budget and is consulting on the future of the scheme. 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Transport Minister have both repeatedly refused to rule out raising the qualifying age from 60 to 65.

Under the SNP, there has been a decade of decline in bus services with: 

•             Bus passenger journey numbers down by 78 million

•             Nearly 70 million vehicle kilometres stripped out of the bus network

•             The number of bus routes registered with the Traffic Commissioner down by a fifth.

Scottish Labour introduced concessionary travel for older people and disabled people in 2006 and 1.3 million people benefit from the free bus pass.

My friend and colleague Neil Bibby MSP who Scottish Labour’s Transport spokesperson, has said:

“A Labour government introduced the free bus pass, allowing older people and disabled people the freedom to travel where they choose. 

“We will fight the SNP's cuts to the bus pass – and it is welcome that SNP councillors are finally realising the damage raising the bus pass age would do too. 

“The SNP has already cut £10 million from the bus pass budget and now it's consulting on plans to cut back eligibility and restrict the number of people who will get the free bus pass in future.

“In its 2016 manifesto the SNP promised that the bus pass would continue and said nothing about cutting it back. The SNP has absolutely no mandate to make these cuts. To do so would be a betrayal of voters' trust.

“Humza Yousaf should go and read his own 2016 manifesto and ditch his plans to cut the bus pass, which have never been endorsed by the electorate.”

I am pleased that Dundee City Council unanimously opposed plans to cut the bus pass scheme. It was good that Dundee SNP councillors recognised just how unwelcome this cut would be.  We say no to cuts to bus passes.  I’ll be campaigning against cuts to the bus pass and for improved bus services.