Fares rise ‘slap in the face’ to Scots

ABOVE-INFLATION rail fare rises have been branded a “slap in the face” to hard-working Scots by a senior Scottish Labour MSP.

Fares in Scotland will rise by 4.2 per cent – one per cent above inflation – while cross-border fares will rise by 6.2 per cent from January.

An annual season ticket between Edinburgh and Glasgow is expected to increase by £142 to £3521.96 while monthly Edinburgh to Glasgow tickets will rise by £13 to £338.13. A single Edinburgh to Glasgow off-peak ticket will go up to £12.54.

Scottish Labour’s shadow infrastructure secretary 
Richard Baker said: “These fare rises are a slap in the face for hard-working Scots. As ScotRail faces fines of 
hundreds of thousands of pounds for failing to hit performance targets, the long-suffering commuter ends up paying more.

“Anyone who regularly commutes by train will experience the regular frustrations of cancelled, shortened, or delayed trains. Now, being asked to pay more for these services when wages are being frozen and other costs are going up, is just another squeeze that more and more won’t be able to afford.”

Transport Minister Keith Brown said the Scottish Government had capped increases at inflation plus one per cent in contrast to the three per cent above inflation increase in the rest of the UK.