Low income Scots worry about costs of transport, think tank says

Scotland needs a fairer transport system as almost two-thirds of Scots on low incomes worry about being able to afford travel, a leading think tank has said.

Research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR Scotland) has said the majority of Scots (56%) with a household income below £15,000 want to see radical change to reduce the reliance on cars.

The data, from a YouGov poll surveyed 498 low-income Scots, found 62% worried about being able to afford transport, while 66% do not believe they are being listened to in decisions about transport in their area.

Now the think tank has urged the Scottish Government to make public transport a more affordable, attractive option by introducing a single ticket or season pass that provides access across all community transport such as trains and buses.

It would replicate European countries such as Germany which offers citizens a nine-euro (£7.61) monthly transport pass in response to the energy crisis.

And encouraging active travel instead of prioritising cars would help reimagine Scottish cities, experts suggest.

The IPPR report suggests that those on low incomes tend to have higher exposure to the negative impacts of transport – despite being less likely to afford a car.

Just 40% of households with a net income of up to £10,000 have access to their own vehicle, compared with 90% of those earning more than £40,000, the report said.

Becca Massey-Chase, report author and principal research fellow, said: “We urgently need to reduce emissions from road transport in Scotland, which makes up 69% of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“At the same time, if we involve people on low incomes in the process, then we can also make our transport system fairer.

“Affordable, accessible, sustainable transport supports people to work, learn, participate in their communities, and access support networks.

“But too many people in low incomes are locked out of these opportunities – this needs to change if Scotland is to meet the twin challenge of building a fairer future and reducing its carbon emissions.”

Philip Whyte, director of IPPR Scotland, said: “People on low incomes are less likely to be able to afford a car, but more likely to suffer the cost of people driving – in terms of their physical safety and health.

“As well as being a huge carbon emitter, our transport system isn’t working for so many people.

“As Scotland looks to reduce emissions from transport, an increased emphasis on policies that tackle the social injustices that our transport system currently perpetuates is sorely needed.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the impact that the cost of living crisis is having across Scotland and we continue to do all we can to ensure people, communities and businesses are given as much support as possible to deal with these rising costs, despite many of the powers required to tackle these issues being reserved to the UK Government.

“We know that transport expenditure poses another – often unavoidable – expense, and our aim is to ensure access to affordable, accessible and sustainable transport across the country.

“We welcome that a majority of people surveyed share our ambition to cut car use and that it will help create a fairer Scotland.

“We recognise the challenge too in ensuring people who need to use public transport the most can afford to do so, without that impinging on other living costs.

“We need more people to choose to use the car less, but also to realise that with current fuel costs, using the car can be more expensive now than using public transport where that is available.

“We will continue to look at ways to make public transport more affordable during this crisis and beyond, including by progressing our Fair Fares review with urgency.”