Greens join campaign for free public transport in Glasgow

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has backed a new campaign calling for free public transport in Glasgow.

Patrick Harvie has backed the call.

The Glasgow MSP said the city “desperately needs” the benefits free public transport would bring, in addition to it helping to tackle the climate crisis.

The Free Our City campaign is being launched today with an online conference from 11am.

Speakers will include representatives from the Get Glasgow Moving public transport campaign, Scottish Youth Climate Strike organisers and Unite Scotland, the union for Glasgow’s bus drivers.

There will also be two speakers from European cities benefiting from free public transport – Xavier Dairaine, the director of engineering in urban communities in Dunkirk, France, where public transport charges were abolished in 2018, and Katrin Winter, a citizen in Tallinn, Estonia, which introduced the policy in 2013.

Mr Harvie said: “Free public transport for all would be vital to building a green recovery and tackling the climate crisis.

“It’s a Scottish Greens policy and we already secured free bus travel for under-19s, coming into effect next year, so I warmly welcome this campaign.

“Cities like Tallinn and Dunkirk have shown us that free public transport can tackle pollution, boost passenger numbers, reduce private car use and open the city up for more marginalised communities.

“Glasgow desperately needs all these things.”