A report leaked to the Edinburgh Evening News has revealed that Edinburgh City Council officials are considering rising bus fares in order to pay for the Roseburn-Granton spur line of the Trams for Edinburgh project. The rise – which has been dubbed an unfair “tram tax” – is just one option which has been considered, including the disposal of Lothian Buses, whose majority shareholder is the Council.
The news that the Council are even considering the rise has been met with anger and dismay throughout the city. Steve Cardownie, deputy council leader, SNP leader and known to be anti the tram, commented: “Before a passenger has even set foot on a tram, it's in trouble. If a fare levy was introduced, bus passengers would be subsidising the trams. All these things were predicted by the SNP and they are now appearing on agendas, which is very worrying I don't normally comment on leaked reports. However, this does cause me concern. At the very outset of this administration, I presented a motion to council that under no circumstances would the sale of Lothian Buses be considered to make up any shortfall. It's disconcerting that this is even on the agenda and the SNP will do everything it can to resist this. I will be asking the chief executive why this has been raised."
Other options considered in the report to get the extension project back on track – which is being led by tie Finance Director, Stewart McGarrity – include disposing of Lothian Buses (majority shareholder Edinburgh City Council), prudential borrowing and investment through Transport Scotland.
Tom Aitchinson, Chief Executive of Edinburgh City Council, commented: “A project team identified a broad range of options, some of which we will look at further and some of which were immediately rejected. The council has always been emphatic that the disposal of Lothian Buses, which is a key asset to this city, is not an option that we would wish to take forward. We remain absolutely committed to delivering an integrated public transport system for the city involving both trams and buses. Lothian Buses are an essential part of those plans. "
* An opinion article into these leaked plans is available on The Scotsman website - here.
Source: The Scotsman