Bus firm Ember unveils alternative to proposed Scotland-wide £2 fare cap
Maximum ticket price due to be extended from Highlands to Glasgow area by mid-August
An alternative to the planned Scotland-wide £2 bus fare cap has been proposed by an operator which argued it would better protect rural and lesser-used services.
Ember Co-founder Keith Bradbury said the Scottish Government should pay higher reimbursement rates to operators for journeys in rural and poorer areas, and at night and on Sundays, which would better support bus services across the country.
The move would mean most journeys in cities would cost less than £2 while fares for longer journeys would be cheaper, albeit not as low as £2, according to the firm.
However, the idea was dismissed by some in the industry, who said it was a non-starter because the SNP had “pinned its colours to the mast” in pledging a nationwide cap.
The party has vowed to extend it from the Highlands to the Glasgow area within 100 days of being elected - or mid-August - and the rest of the country by 2031.
Ember, which has expanded its electric bus network since launching between Edinburgh and Dundee in 2020, described some consequences of the planned cap as “slightly crazy”.
A statement from the firm said: “Most bus journeys are relatively short and our proposal targets a higher proportion of funding towards short journeys. This would mean that most ordinary fares inside cities would immediately fall below £2.
“On longer journeys, the result would be more proportionate. Prices would still fall, often significantly.
“But you wouldn’t get the slightly crazy situation where someone can travel from Edinburgh to Inverness for £2 when going on holiday – a nice perk but not a sensible allocation of taxpayer funding.”
Ember said there would also be the problem of how much to reimburse operators if no one paid normal fares as firms set their prices in different ways, and some could seek to exploit it.
However, one industry source said: “Ember is proposing a solution that isn't a £2 fare cap. The Scottish Government has pinned its colours to the mast on this one, so it's a non-starter.
“It's also a proposal that benefits Ember so I can see why they're promoting it.”
Patrick Harvie, transport spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said: “Ember rightly say that a £2 bus cap mustn’t become a money tree for bus companies to exploit, and that it must keep routes viable.
“Ministers should commit fully to bringing our bus networks into public control so that we can run routes that are good for passengers and communities, with no risk that subsidy is extracted as profit.”
Scottish Conservative transport spokesperson Tim Eagle said: “The SNP’s bus fare cap policy as it stands is a half-baked measure only intended to grab headlines.
“We will continue to demand safe and reliable public transport alongside an end to the Nationalists’ war on motorists.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Willie Rennie said: “These are very considered and detailed proposals, so it is important that the Scottish Government takes the time to fully engage with them.
“I have repeatedly said that we need to think carefully about how we use public funds to deliver value for money, especially when public finances are restricted.
“In many parts of Scotland, people are frustrated with the lack of bus routes altogether, so we must also ensure cheap fares sit alongside a more effective and reliable service.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has begun engaging with the bus industry to understand the practical, operational and technical requirements to progress a £2 fare cap in the west of Scotland.
“The Highlands and Islands pilot is providing us with valuable evidence on customer behaviour, pricing impacts and operator engagement. We are also learning from similar schemes elsewhere in the UK.
“This will directly inform how we design a future scheme and bring forward legislation for a national bus fare cap.”
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