The Scottish Labour party is urging the country’s devolved administration to follow the Westminster government’s lead in England, and cap bus fares to £2.

The BBC says it’s pointing to Transport Scotland statistics showing fares in Scotland have increased by 6% in real terms over the last five years, compared with a UK-wide rise of 3%.

The figures also show that passenger journeys in Scotland fell by 69%, and in Britain by 66% over the past five years.

Scottish Labour’s transport spokesman Neil Bibby claimed unreliable services and unaffordable fares were forcing people away from buses.

More than 130 bus operators in England have signed up to limit fares to £2 for the first three months of the year.

The BBC reports Scottish Labour wants Scotland to follow suit to stop people seeking alternative transport.

The report quotes a Transport Scotland spokeswoman as saying: “We invest £300m annually to deliver free bus travel for all children and young people under 22, as well as for eligible disabled people and everyone aged 60 and over. This means Scotland has the most generous concessionary fare scheme in the UK, with more than 2.3 million people eligible for free bus travel.”

(File picture – First Bus)