Why SNP's national integrated ticketing system for public transport looks likely to end in total failure – Dr Richard Dixon

Scotland has tried for years to bring in tickets that allow people to travel by multiple trains, trams and buses but, for some reason, it seems to be too difficult

Among the policy announcements that were supposed to temper our disappointment at the 2030 target climate target being abandoned was one that the Scottish Government “will explore a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport in Scotland”. This is a great idea. As it was the last several times it has been promised by politicians.

In 2003, I went to a WWF meeting in a very rural spot in the centre of the Netherlands. At a large train station in the west of the country, I was able to buy a ticket to reach the village I was heading for. This ticket covered an express train, a local train and a taxi for the final few miles.

This kind of integrated ticketing for public transport had already been promised at the UK level by Labour in 1995. When they came to power, John Prescott published a transport strategy in 1997, which included this commitment.

ScotRail has been trying

Transport minister Stewart Stevenson promised the same for Scotland in 2008. When Nicola Sturgeon was Infrastructure Secretary, she promised something similar in 2012. When he was transport minister, Humza Yousaf published a 2018 delivery plan on smart and integrated ticketing.

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An undated page on Transport Scotland’s website talks up the benefits of integrated ticketing. It says the work is funded by an EU grant. Which ran out a year and half ago. If you follow the link to updates on progress, there are none.

On the Continent, it's possible to buy a ticket that covers the cost of travel between two places in various kinds of public transport and even taxis (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

All of this effort has so far led to almost nothing. ScotRail has been trying. Their plus bus ticket lets you take the train somewhere and then use the buses in that town or city. In Glasgow, it applies on the three main bus companies yet it does not include the subway, even though this is in public ownership.

Now we are going to try again. How hard can it be to make this work? In many European countries, integrated ticketing is the norm. We run ScotRail, we even own some of the buses. And it may surprise you to know that around 50 per cent of the cost of every bus journey in Scotland is paid for by public money, yet we seem to have no control over the companies that run the buses.

Prove me wrong

When everything was based on paper tickets, perhaps things were harder, but now that it’s all smartcards and booking in advance on the internet, it ought to be dead simple. And of course, we already know how to do most of it because anyone young enough or old enough to have a National Entitlement card can already travel on pretty much any bus or coach anywhere in Scotland. If you live in the right place, this may also apply to Edinburgh’s trams, Glasgow’s subway or ferries to the Isles.

It is clear that the problem is that the transport companies can’t be bothered and politicians haven’t been strong enough to stand up to them and make it happen. So forgive me for being cynical, exploring a new national integrated ticketing system seems most likely to end where all the previous attempts at exploring such a thing have ended – in total failure. Come on, prove me wrong.

Dr Richard Dixon is an environmental campaigner and consultant