Electric bus operator concerned about 'slogan' £2 fare cap

Electric bus company Ember says the Scottish government's £2 cap on bus fares is a "good slogan" but claims it could do more to support routes across Scotland.

The cap is running as a pilot in six local authority areas and First Minister John Swinney announced it is to be extended to cover journeys in the west of Scotland from Monday.

Ember, which operates intercity routes across Scotland, said it was "strongly supportive" of the new scheme's goals but had concerns about how it would work across different areas.

Transport Scotland said the cap would support households facing cost-of-living challenges, and bus firms could choose whether or not to take part in the scheme.

Ember said how the cap worked for intercity operators was not "super simple".

It said if a journey was entirely within an area where the cap applied, such as its Glasgow to Cumbernauld route, the whole fare was capped at £2.

But a trip which begins or ends outside the scheme, such as Glasgow to Dundee, would see passengers only "partially" benefitting.

Ember said passengers would pay £2 for the part of the journey inside a capped area and the normal fare for the part outside it.

A spokesperson said: "In essence, we are strongly supportive of the goals of the scheme and of the underpinning principles of better bus travel. Our concern is around the mechanism proposed to achieve this."

The firm said the Scottish government "should absolutely" make bus travel cheaper and better.

"But if it is spending hundreds of millions of pounds doing this, the system needs to be built carefully," the spokesperson said.

"Public money should support useful journeys, fair prices and sustainable services.

"It should encourage competition that drives down prices and drives up standards, not distort the market and entrench incumbent monopolies."

The spokesperson said Ember was "happy" to offer ideas and data analysis.

They added: "A £2 fare cap is a good slogan, but Scotland can do better than building a national bus funding system around a slogan."

The Scottish government has invested £10m in the pilot, which has been rolled out across the Highlands, Western and Northern Isles, Moray, and Argyll and Bute.

It caps a maximum adult single fare at £2, with participating bus operators reimbursed by public body Transport Scotland.

Ember said that under the pilot, operators were reimbursed for 90% of the difference between £2 and what an adult single fare would normally be.

The first minister announced the extension of the scheme to the west of Scotland while setting out the Scottish government's new programme for government.

Transport Scotland said it engaged closely with bus operators and participation in the scheme was voluntary.

A spokesperson said: "The cost of living remains one of the biggest challenges facing households across Scotland, which is why making public transport more affordable through the £2 bus fare cap is such an important priority for the Scottish government.

"The £2 bus fare will start this coming Monday morning with participating operators in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport area."

Meanwhile, Jack Middleton, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, has called for the cap to be extended to Aberdeen.