Glasgow's free transport pilot a success - but council cannot afford to widen it
Getty ImagesA review of a free public transport trial in Glasgow has hailed the pilot as highly successful - but found the city council cannot afford to fund a wider scheme.
Almost 1,000 people, aged between 22 and 59, were given unlimited travel on buses, ScotRail trains and the Subway for six weeks, starting in February this year.
Officials reported the fare-free travel encouraged drivers to leave their cars behind, cut everyday costs and helped people reach work or health appointments.
However, the pilot scheme cost £225,000 to go ahead and the report said a wider initiative "would be outwith the ability of the council to fund".
The local authority hopes the pilot will be used by the government during future talks on public transport across Scotland.
Despite the pilot being successful, some obstacles to travel remained. Participants reported difficulties with service availability, reliability, coverage and accessibility.
During the project, there were 51,416 free public transport trips made. Buses were the most frequently used mode, accounting for over 25,000 journeys, followed by rail (20,280 trips) and the Subway (5,935 trips).
About half of the participants were chosen to be "broadly representative" of the city's population.
Almost 350 were selected through the council's child poverty pathfinder team, as they are more likely to experience barriers in using transport, while the rest of the participants were recruited through the NHS.
The trial found 45% of general public participants and 19% of the pathfinder/NHS cohort changed their main mode of transport from car to public transport.
The report added the pilot had identified wider public transport network improvements - such as more integrated services - are required in the city.
Councillor Angus Millar, the council's convener for climate and transport, is set to write to the Scottish government to request the report be used "as part of a national evidence base for future policy-making".
He said advocating for "more affordable and accessible public transport is a key priority of the council" and that the study can help inform a wider national conversation about free public transport.