The Scottish Government has recommitted to providing free bus travel for people seeking asylum by 2026, following a debate in Holyrood.
MSPs voted in favour of a motion brought by the Scottish Greens, calling for the policy to be reintroduced “as soon as possible”.
While the vote itself was non-binding, transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said that the government would restore the policy by 2026.
It is the first time the government has signalled its intention to revive the scheme since it was scrapped in August.
Last year then-first minister Humza Yousaf announced that £2million had been set aside for the scheme, telling MSPs that it was the “next step in making sure that our transport system, our country is fair and accessible to all”.
However, the plans were ditched nine months later as part of wider spending cuts.
Reacting to the debate
Scottish Refugee Council’s head of policy, communications and communities Gary Christie said:
“People seeking asylum have been let down by dropping plans to offer them free bus travel.
“Banned from working and living on as little as £1.36 a day, access to public transport would mean no longer having to choose between buying food or travelling to a doctor’s appointment.
“The Scottish Government’s commitment to extend a free bus travel scheme to all people seeking asylum offered hope to people living in abject poverty.
“A recommitment to a pilot in the Scottish Parliament is welcome, but if ministers truly intend to deliver on their promise, people seeking asylum need urgent clarity on exactly when and how they plan to move forward.
“While the future of free bus travel is unclear, the debate heard strong cross-party support around improving life for people in the UK asylum system in Scotland.
“That includes a near-general consensus that, when it comes to supporting the most vulnerable members of our society, it is not a choice between one group or another.”
Why do people seeking asylum need free bus travel?
People in the asylum system are unable to work under UK employment law.
The Home Office provides £49.18 per week, around £7 per day, for people in uncatered accommodation. Those in hotels get £8.86 per week, which is around £1.40 per day.
A First Glasgow day ticket is £5.60. The same ticket type for Lothian Buses costs £5.
Campaigners have told how extending free bus travel would prevent people from being faced with a choice between buying food or taking public transport.
The scheme would allow people in the asylum system to attend vital appointments with GPs and solicitors.
It also gives people easy access to language lessons and volunteering projects, which are vital in helping to prevent isolation and help people build support networks within their new communities.
Refugee-rights organisations including JustRight Scotland, Maryhill Integration Network, Scottish Refugee Council and Refugee Sanctuary Scotland have been campaigning for concessionary free bus travel for asylum seekers in Scotland for the past several years.
A 12-week pilot, led by Refugee Sanctuary Scotland, provided 150 asylum seekers in Glasgow with free bus travel last year.
One participant said that, before the pilot, they faced a “straight choice between eating and travelling”.
The successful city-wide pilot acted as a springboard for the Scottish Government to announce the national pilot.
Has the debate changed anything?
While the motion to restore plans for free bus travel passed, the vote was non-binding. This means that the government is not obligated to act on its outcome.
Ministers have said they are committed restoring the policy by 2026, before the next Scottish election, which is the first time they have said they intend to revive it.
While their recommitment is welcomed, at this stage, it is not clear when or how this will happen.
In the meantime, some people seeking asylum in Scotland are still eligible for other concessionary travel schemes, including those under 22 and over 60 years old, as well as those with disabilities.
