Yesterday evening the Cross-Party Group on Sustainable Transport, convened by Graham Simpson MSP, introduced the findings of its inquiry into decarbonising Scotland's buses, ferries and trains. The report, "Fossil Free Future: Accelerating Scotland to Zero-Carbon Public Transport", calls for urgent action on zero-carbon public transport. The event included an address by Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop and an expert panel to discuss the key themes of the report.
Graham Simpson MSP said: "We have come up with a set of recommendations for the Government that are clear and challenging. These include the need for further funding to buy zero-emission buses, prioritising electrification of the rail network so there are as few gaps as possible and, on ferries ensuring that, where possible, all new ferries should be plug-in electric.
"Public health, air pollution and the economy stand to gain from zero-carbon public transport- but it also has a role to play in attracting new passengers to rail, bus and ferry. Concerns exist around cost barriers associated with pursuing fossil-free alternatives- however, our report warns that costs must not be passed on to users if we are to build a thriving public transport network in Scotland
Read the report online here:
Fossil-Free Future -- CPG Sustainable Transport -- 2023-11-28 (transform.scot)
