Sir Keir Starmer encouraged to scrap peak time rail fares across the UK

Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said the policy being piloted in Scotland should be applied across the whole of the UK.

The Scottish Greens have suggested Sir Keir Starmer could adopt the ‘imaginative’ policy of axing peak rail fares across the UK (Jane Barlow/PA)

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to follow Scotland’s example and scrap peak time rail fares across the UK if he wins the race for Downing Street next month.

Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie suggested the policy, which was pursued by his party when it was part of the Scottish Government, was one that Labour should adopt across all of the UK.

Adding there was “no doubt” that Labour will form the next government, Mr Harvie said: “It does feel as though Keir Starmer could do with a few interesting, positive, imaginative ideas. He doesn’t seem to have many of his own.”

The Green told the PA news agency: “I would be very happy if they want to steal a few of our good ideas, and see many, many more people getting that benefit.”

The Scottish Government abolished peak time fares on the publicly-owned ScotRail network in October 2023, with the pilot project, which had been due to end in June, later extened to run to the end of September this year.

As well as calling for the scrapping of peak fares to be extended across the UK, Mr Harvie insisted the lower prices must be made permanent in Scotland, arguing that would encourage more commuters out of their cars and on to trains.

Speaking as he campaigned at the Livingston North railway station with local candidate Cameron Glasgow, Mr Harvie insisted that having higher fares for rail journeys at peak times was “tax on people working”.

The Scottish Green co-leader said: “As a result of Green work in the Scottish Parliament, Scotland has already scrapped peak rail fares.

“That has been extended through to September this year and as a result of that someone who lives here in Livingston and travels to work in Edinburgh is saving about £60-a-month if they’re travelling every week day.

“That’s a huge benefit to people in terms of the cost of living but it is also something that really we need to do if we are serious about tackling the climate emergency. We need to make public transport the most affordable option.

“So peak rail fare scrapping has been a really positive success for Scotland. We need to make it permanent, so that people have the confidence to know those prices aren’t going to be hiked if we are going to encourage even more people to make that shift.”

But he also insisted that the “benefit of this policy could be rolled out across the whole of the UK”, with Mr Harvie adding: “Right up and down the country, on long distance and on short distance commuter trips, people could be saving a huge amount of money.”