Issue - meetings

Allan Comrie, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), updated the Forum on the decision of the Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Scheme Joint Committee (SCTSJC) to increase fares. The Forum noted minutes of SCTSJC were publicly available on their website. Mr Comrie stated that whilst fully aware of the importance of the elder population, reserves held were not sufficient to sustain the scheme in its current form and there was a duty to retain reserves at a sustainable level.  He commented that fares had been suppressed for many years and that the concessionary fares, although not subject to RET, would still be half the cost of a full fare.

Discussion focused on the discrepancies between fares on routes where RET is available and those where it is not and what options might be available to have a discretionary payment to offset these discrepancies.

Outcome

The Forum;

1.    noted the positon; and

2.    agreed that the Chair would write to SCTSJC to ask them to re-visit the decision on routes where passengers are at a double disadvantage given they do not have the benefit of reduced fares from RET and are paying an increase on already higher fare.