Jochen Lillich
Scottish GreensFour years ago we delivered free bus travel for everyone under the age of 22.
Now it's time to go further.
We're committing to deliver free bus travel for everyone in Scotland - on a bus network that has been brought back under public control. 🚌
GunChleoc@ScottishGreens Having a usable bus network in Skye and similarly underserved regions would be brilliant
jack@ScottishGreens As a former bus driver... this is a tremendous policy! So much time was wasted at bus stops selling tickets one-by-one to passengers. Prepayment, contactless payment, and free travel passes were all big improvements over selling tickets for cash, but "bus arrives, some people get off, some people get on and find a seat without delay, bus drives on" is the absolute gold standard.
Combine it with enforced bus lanes and bus-priority traffic lights and you get much more consistent running times - and from there you can get a much faster timetable that doesn't need to accommodate so much variation!
Alan Bellingham@jackeric @ScottishGreens My wife and I have just been to Luxembourg City, where the public transport is free. It's so much easier with no need to buy tickets, no ticket barriers, no ticket inspectors, no ... &c.
AlexxKay@jackeric
My (USA) neighborhood is running an experiment with free buses. The other day, instead of walking all the way home from the drugstore, I hopped on the free bus, rode one stop, and hopped off, covering about half the distance. A use-case I would have never even considered if the bus wasn't free.
My (USA) neighborhood is running an experiment with free buses. The other day, instead of walking all the way home from the drugstore, I hopped on the free bus, rode one stop, and hopped off, covering about half the distance. A use-case I would have never even considered if the bus wasn't free.
scmbradley@jackeric @ScottishGreens Luxembourg basically made all public trasnsport in the country free and it has been a great improvement.
Albert CardonaWonderful. Next step, ban cars from all inner city centres. Finally we’ll be able to walk, cycle, and take the bus without the constant nuisance, pollution and danger of cars.
Lesley M 🏴 🇪🇺@ScottishGreens @albertcardona My view is that is not feasible in a fair society. I have two reasons for that view,which I'd like your viewpoint on. 1) I have 2 disabled friends, one hip replacement, one MS who cannot walk far at all. How would they navigate the city efficiently?
2) tradespeople. Many joiners, plumbers,electricians need to carry an ungodly amount of tools to work on various jobs,including in city centres. They can't carry all the tools on public transport. How is this handled.
2) tradespeople. Many joiners, plumbers,electricians need to carry an ungodly amount of tools to work on various jobs,including in city centres. They can't carry all the tools on public transport. How is this handled.
1) The handicap move so much more freely in the absence of cars, with other vehicles;
2) Tradespeople likewise, either with cargo bikes or by entering before e.g., 8 AM or after 7 PM, or with permits.
For both, a car-free city is a boon. No traffic slowing them down and available parking in front of their destination.
Lett Osprey 
🍉 
@albertcardona As a person living with someone that suffers from MS and several other chronic illnesses, I'd like to voice my frustration with your 1) here.
I am all for restricting and reducing car usage, but it must never, ever, EVER come at the expense of disabled people.
But it has, and this is something my partner struggles with.
All the cities that are hailed as "pedestrian and bike friendly!", we simply have to avoid if we travel somewhere. But, living outside Oslo and needing to relate to traveling in Oslo, that city is unavoidable. And, as much as the green party have done a lot of good, they have also made it harder for her to get around there.
Better solutions might be possible, but UNTIL THEY ARE IN PLACE, and is VALIDATED BETTER by chronically ill people, DO NOT make it harder for them to use cars to get somewhere.
@albertcardona People seem to have the idea that disabilities are just things like "cannot walk" or "cannot see", and are unaware of the range of issues that chronical illnesses give, and just how they impair people ability to get from A to B.
"We cannot accommodate for everyone" was a response I got from a green party person in Oslo when I mentioned how much harder it had gotten for my partner to get around.
They were proud of having cut back on the amount of parking and given back "green spaces!" but now it was often impossible for us to find parking spots. "how can that be? we have added way more parking for disabled!" - giving the absurd idea that disabled people only park in "reserved for disabled" parking spots. If you remove 100 parking spots and add 10 more disabled spots, the reserved spots are instantly full and so are all the others and we have nowhere to park.
@albertcardona And toilets? Where the F*** are the toilets?
"They are costy to maintain, and you know how the drug addicts are just trashing stuff so we have no choice but to close them early or just remove them!"
So, the fact that society does not want to show care for people that suffers from addiction means that society cannot show care for disabled people, that is neat.
But as it is, lack of available toilets is one of the biggest struggle for many disabled people when navigating the cities, and without a car to quickly take you where there are possibilities to go, getting around is near impossible.
Cronically ill people have EXTREMELY little energy. This is WHY you know so little about their struggles, they have not the energy to tell you.
I would have NO idea how hard it was, if I did not live with someone that suffers from all of this, and see the struggles every day.
So PLEASE STOP MAKING ASSUMPTIONS.
And do NOT use "it is better for disabled!" to justify "no car"
@latelesley @ScottishGreens
@albertcardona Fun bit, due to my job, I get free train travel. Due to my partners finances as a result of being disabled, she is included in my free pass.
We live a 10 min walk from a train station with express trains to Oslo. I never ever drive to Oslo when I need to go there by myself.
When going with my partner, we near always drive.
Despite having free train passes, we pay for the expense of driving, the expense of parking, the toll fees and what not.
It's not like we do that because we enjoy wasting money, or just "cannot be bothered".
It is the only way she is able to get most places in the city.
HeatherMJ@ScottishGreens
How fantastic.
The council subsidise a bus through our village.
Six a day into town, and six back. It is so inconvenient and infrequent, no one uses it. Madness
How fantastic.
The council subsidise a bus through our village.
Six a day into town, and six back. It is so inconvenient and infrequent, no one uses it. Madness
Olm-ewhen here ? @ecolobe #collectifsansticket and others long (looong) time demand/proposal #belgique #bruxelles #wallonie #vlaanderen
David Mitchell 
Can’t express how much I admire this…
Peter Brown@ScottishGreens it is high time under 22s were able to travel on our ferries as well as buses. For those of us who live on islands the ferry is just the same as a bus. However, the difference is that you have no choice because you’re surrounded by water! #YoungScot
@ScottishGreens
I remember subsidised buses in Sheffield in the late 70s/dearly 80s (free in the city centre, IIRC). Didn't survive contact with That Thatcher.
I remember subsidised buses in Sheffield in the late 70s/dearly 80s (free in the city centre, IIRC). Didn't survive contact with That Thatcher.
@ScottishGreens let’s have free ferry travel for the under 22s.
It is extremely unfair to young island dwellers that they have to pay every time they travel when the rest of the country gets it for free.
(Same for pensioners)
It is extremely unfair to young island dwellers that they have to pay every time they travel when the rest of the country gets it for free.
(Same for pensioners)