12 May 2025
Dear Sam,
Thank you for your email of 24 April 2025, detailing the work Consumer Scotland has undertaken on improving public transport experiences, benefitting consumers and encouraging more sustainable transport behaviours and sharing your briefing on the matter.
I agree that making sustainable transport choices more cost-effective and convenient for consumers is central to a successful and just transition to a lower emission transport market. The recommendations from your report are very much aligned with the Scottish Government’s proposed actions set out in the draft Transport Just Transition Plan, which is currently under public consultation.
A successful just transition will mean communities benefit from well connected, affordable, reliable public transport and electric vehicle networks, and from improved active travel networks which meet local need and support access to employment and vital services. We recognise that as we make changes to our transport system, we need to address the challenges faced by people and communities under our current transport system. For example, we know that the cost of transport in the islands and in rural areas is much higher, relative to income, than in the rest of Scotland.
Large parts of Scotland are rural, sparsely populated country. We will always need vehicles, including private cars, to enable people, goods and services to get around, to, and from Scotland and beyond. I am aware that opportunities to reduce car use in remote rural areas are limited – we do not expect car use to lower at the same rate as in towns and cities. Car use will continue to be an important facet of rural life.
We do, however, still encourage those in rural and island communities to make changes where it is possible to do so to ensure that the equality, economic, and health and wellbeing benefits of car use reduction are experienced nationally, and not only in urban settings. A range of outcomes will be necessary to support these remote and rural communities, for example switching to electric vehicles, alongside policies which support a reduced need to travel, and encouraging shared and combined car journeys.
Car use is the largest contributor to transport emissions in Scotland – we need to encourage people out of their cars and onto more sustainable transport options. This will require a substantial shift in travel behaviour, and we need all sectors of society to play their part in meeting this challenge. Fewer cars make our roads and streets safer, especially for children, and can create healthier and happier communities, where people and businesses can thrive and enjoy better quality spaces.
I understand that we need to create suitable infrastructure to incentivise the move to electric vehicles, which is why, thanks to investment and action from Scottish Government, Scotland now has over 6500 public charge points – meeting the target of 6000 charge points two years early. We are also supporting local authorities, working with the private sector, to help achieve more charge points especially in less commercially attractive areas including rural and island communities through our £30m EV Infrastructure Fund.
We want more people to travel by public transport for work, study and leisure. In the coming year, we will seek to keep fare increases as low as we can, maintain existing services and invest in infrastructure and fleets. For the groups most reliant on public transport, we also know that personal safety is a key concern. Our engagement when creating the draft Transport Just Transition Plan reinforced what a wide range of research makes clear: that perceptions and experiences of a lack of safety affect the mobility and travel choices of women and girls, and other groups. Among the issues most identified are concerns about travelling at night and the reliability of services. There is also generalised anxiety about potential harassment, assault or anti-social behaviour on services.
Addressing these concerns is vital as a matter of fairness and equality, but also in allowing people to choose more sustainable travel options with confidence. The transition provides an opportunity to do this, and to build a system of transport that is fundamentally more fair, accessible and sustainable.
Regarding the recommendation to design and deliver a new consumer engagement programme to support the EV Vision Implementation Plan, we are developing the Consumer EV Insight Group (CEVIG) in partnership with Consumer Scotland. This group will bring together key stakeholders with an interest in the consumer experience of EVs, and public EV charging to identify and address key barriers to high quality consumer experiences.
I understand that Consumer Scotland met with my officials recently to discuss the briefing, and I look forward to continuing this work going forward.
Yours sincerely
FIONA HYSLOP
Cabinet Secretary for Transport