SCOTRAIL fares are to go up by 4.8%, it has been confirmed.
Transport Scotland has confirmed that following what it call "an extended fares freeze" in there would be a fare rise from July 3.
It means an Anytime day return, which allows peak time travel from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley would end up being £1.32 more with the increase. A return fare which would have cost £27.60 now would be approximately £28.92.
An off peak return over the same route would rise by 92p from £19.20 to £20.12.
It comes as the public is being increasingly encouraged to rely on public transport as the Scottish Government aims to meet climate change targets. It plans to become a net zero greenhouse gas emitting nation by 2045, with interim targets of 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040.
READ MORE: CalMac fined £12m for ferry fails but ScotGov rejects islanders' fund
From June 1, drivers with older vehicles face being fined up to £480 if they enter central Glasgow as the city’s new low emissions zone (LEZ) comes into effect as part of the bid to beat climate change.
All vehicles entering the zone now need to meet the less-polluting emission standards or face a penalty charge, which starts at £60 and then doubles with each subsequent breach of the rules.
The Scottish Government transport agency said of the fare rise: "This is substantially lower than inflation and below recent rises in incomes. They are also lower than increases elsewhere in the UK where fares recently increased by almost 6%."
But the transport staff union TSSA has criticised the move.
TSSA organiser for ScotRail, Gary Kelly said: “This announcement is bad news for anyone hoping to ditch the car this summer. Increasing rail fares is only going to put people off travelling by train in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
“The SNP like to talk the talk about net zero targets but they can’t walk the walk. We need a fares freeze for everyone if we want to get serious about greening the economy and a public railway run in the public interest.
“The first act of the incoming Transport Secretary, Màiri McAllan, should be to scrap this increase immediately.”
It comes a week after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union agreed a new pay deal with ScotRail amid ongoing action on cross-border services.
Members voted to accept a five per cent uplift, with some of the lowest-paid receiving up to 8%.
Ministers said they agreed these fares after lengthy consideration to ensure rail services are sustainable in the longer term and that budgets align with the overall funding available.
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Publicly owned ScotRail only agreed last year's pay deal with the RMT in November, seeing off a planned series of strikes.
The increased pay offer after months of negotiations saw staff given a five per cent rise plus an extra £750.
That meant wages would rise by 7.5% for staff such as conductors and ticket examiners with an 8.5% increase for lower-paid workers.
The fare rise excludes season and flexi tickets which remain frozen at current prices, "ensuring those who use rail frequently are encouraged to continue".
Peak fares are due to be scrapped in Scotland later this year as part of a cut-price rail travel trial.
Humza Yousaf said that ScotRail would not have peak fares between October 2023 and March 2024.
He said the move would make public transport “more accessible, available and affordable”.
Transport secretary Mairi McAllan said of the new fare rise: “The Scottish Government rightly made the decision to freeze fares as part of its response to the cost-of-living crisis. While this has now remained in place for around 18 months, it is simply no longer sustainable.
“From July 3, 2023, ScotRail fares will increase by 4.8%, compared to 5.9% fares rise across the rest of Great Britain, current RPI of 8.7% and the August 2022 RPI rate of 12.3%.
“This fares rise does not include season tickets and flexi-passes which will remain frozen at current prices, ensuring those who use rail frequently are not discouraged from continuing to do so.
“This below inflation increase means fares remain, on average, lower than across the rest of Great Britain.
“We know that any increase is unwelcome for passengers, therefore we have kept the rise as low as possible to maintain the attractiveness and affordability of rail as a travel option.
“We aim to continue this approach with the peaks fares removal pilot from October this year.”
The fares increase will take effect from 3 July, and fully visible for the public in fares systems from 20 June.
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