6. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that capacity on public transport allows commuters to travel safely as part of its planning for the reopening of non-essential offices. (S5O-04578)

The Covid pandemic has had a significant impact on our transport system as travel demand has fallen. That is why we have committed up to £487 million of additional financial support to date for public transport services to support operators while fare-box revenues are impacted. We have also committed a further £10 million for temporary bus priority to help ensure that public transport remains an attractive choice. Transport Scotland officials are working collaboratively with Scottish Chambers of Commerce and the Scottish Trades Union Congress to plan for safe, phased reopening of remaining offices and to inform route map review decisions.

Although today has seen a pause in moving out of lockdown, at some point non-essential office-based work will resume and we will see an increase in the number of travellers on the Fife circle which, as the Cabinet secretary knows, is usually a busy peak-time service. When people return to socially distanced workplaces, will the same rules continue to apply on public transport, or will capacity be sufficient only when social distancing ends?

I recognise the issues that the member raises about the Fife circle and I also recognise that Network Rail and ScotRail have achieved significant improvements on the line in recent times. Notwithstanding that, the reality is that, while physical distancing continues to be required on public transport, capacity will be constrained. That is why we have provided offers of financial support for things such as bus prioritisation, so that local authorities can look at how they can improve the offer on public transport—on buses, in particular—to support additional capacity where necessary. However, although non-essential offices may open, we are still advocating for and encouraging businesses to support people to continue to work from home where possible, and to look at options such as staggered start and finish times to reduce transport demand at peak times.

I recognise the issues, and they are being addressed through the transport transition plan, but there will be challenges with the limited capacity on the public transport network. We are doing work to maximise capacity, but it will still be constrained. That is why businesses and others need to think about their travelling time and, where possible, support and encourage staff to continue to work from home while physical distancing must be maintained.

It is evident that public transport will continue to be impacted by the need for physical distancing, so can the Cabinet secretary outline how the Scottish Government will engage with transport providers and members of the public to ensure that public confidence in public transport is maintained?

My officials meet regularly at a senior level with public transport providers, such as Network Rail, ScotRail and other bus and rail operators, to look at available capacity and its utilisation, and at whether further measures can be put in place to enable the public to have confidence in the use of public transport. I assure the member that we have taken forward a range of measures to encourage transport operators to adapt the routines of how they operate services in order to provide the public with confidence and to meet demand where necessary. As I just mentioned, we have also provided additional funding to support local authorities through the bus priority rapid deployment fund to help them to improve and increase bus services on key routes.