Last week in the Scottish Parliament Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale MSP Jeremy Purvis questioned the Transport Minister on what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that bus companies are implementing mechanisms to enable mixed-use travel, such as bike racks. The Minister replied that the Scottish Government’s role is to merely ‘encourage and persuade.’ This is not a strong enough commitment to ensure that people living in the Borders are able to make use of public transport.

Commenting, Jeremy Purvis said:

“The Scottish Government may be facing budget restrictions, but support for mixed-use transport methods can be done better. In the Minister’s answer to my question about mixed-use travel he detailed plans for teaching cycling in schools; this may be a positive programme, but it won’t be much use in rural areas such as the Borders if more is not done to ensure cyclists are able to use buses as well.

“If the Scottish Government is serious about increasing active travel in Scotland they are going to have to do more than just encourage bus companies to implement practical means to make this possible in rural areas.”