SNP Concessionary Bus Travel Helping People in Angus
This year’s Challenge Poverty Week (7th-13th October) is placing an emphasis on key themes each day, highlighting the injustice of poverty in Scotland and showing that policy interventions can make a huge difference in alleviating poverty.
On the second day of Challenge Poverty Week, the focus is on transport and what the SNP Scottish Government is doing to help in this area – ensuring that people can get to where they need to go, enabling access to employment, education and essential services.
Graeme has highlighted the SNP government’s policy of free bus travel for under 22s, over 60s and disabled people as helping to tackle poverty here in Angus and across Scotland.
Scotland has the most generous concessionary fare scheme in the UK, with more than 2.3 million people eligible for free bus travel. The SNP Scottish Government’s firm commitment to bus travel continues with almost £430 million in funding for concessionary travel planned for 2024-25.
Recent figures show that young people across Scotland have now made over 150 million journeys using the Free Bus Travel Scheme since it was introduced by the SNP in 2022.
Access to transport is closely related to tackling poverty, with public transport critical for so many to access work, education and training and boost income.
GRAEME
The SNP Scottish Government has ensured that 2.3 million people, including those often on the lowest incomes, can access free bus travel throughout the country.
This is making a real impact on the lives of young, disabled and older people here in Angus – removing a significant barrier to these opportunities.
While the new Labour government at Westminster would appear committed to continued austerity, the Scottish Government will continue to do everything within its means to fight poverty in Scotland.
