2. To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to encourage more people to use bus and rail services in the Rutherglen constituency. (S6O-02975)

We have committed to invest almost £2.5 billion in the coming year to support the public transport network, ensure a viable alternative to car use and enable people to make sustainable choices.

In South Lanarkshire, more than 140,000 concessionary travel card holders benefit from free bus travel, who made more than 565,000 journeys under the concessionary travel schemes in December alone. Clare Haughey’s constituents also benefit from a very frequent rail service, with six trains per hour to central Glasgow and the west end, and from lower rail fares, thanks to our peak fares removal pilot, which has been extended until June.

Getting more people to use public transport will help to tackle two of the most significant challenges facing us today: the cost of living crisis and the climate emergency. By bringing Scotland’s rail into public hands, along with the pilot to scrap peak rail fares, as well as by enabling free bus travel for the over-60s, people with disabilities and young people under the age of 22, the Scottish National Party Government is taking decisive action to promote public transport usage.

Another way in which I believe that we could increase the number of people using public transport is through publicly controlled bus services. Will the minister outline how local authorities such as South Lanarkshire Council can now do that through the new powers that have been given to them under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019?

The Scottish Government has now delivered all the bus powers under the

Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, which enable local transport authorities to consider all the powers that are available to them. Those include partnership working, franchising and local-authority-run services, which sit alongside authorities’ ability to subsidise services. The 2019 act provides an enhanced suite of flexible options, allowing local transport authorities to improve bus services according to their local needs. It will be for each authority to determine which powers are suitable for its area.

As the minister knows, it is my view that one of the best ways of getting people on to public transport, including in Rutherglen, is to have lower and simpler fares. Is it still her intention to publish the fair fares review this month?

It is my intention to publish the fair fares review as soon as possible. I would hope that that will be this month, but it may be into the beginning of next month.

I appreciate the member’s interest, and he makes the very important point that simplification of fares, not necessarily just for buses but across all the different transport modes, is very important. I offer him encouragement by saying that, when the review is published, that is the type of discussion and debate that we will have in taking forward policy in this area.