Community transport providers seek government funding

The organisation wants the Government to extend free transport on public buses for elderly and disabled people to include community-run services. It argues that many of Scotland’s most vulnerable individuals cannot benefit from the concessionary fare scheme introduced last year because many public services are inaccessible or unsuitable for their needs.

The charity estimates that it would cost £5m annually to finance the two and a half million journeys supplied each year by the network of community and voluntary transport providers. The concessionary fare scheme costs £163m.

“We believe expansion of the scheme would be an eminently affordable measure for the Scottish Government to take and that it would make a huge difference to the weekly budgets of Scotland’s disabled pensioners,” said John MacDonald, director for Scotland at the CTA.