Among the policy announcements that were supposed to temper our disappointment at the 2030 target climate target being abandoned was one that the Scottish Government “will explore a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport in Scotland”. This is a great idea. As it was the last several times it has been promised by politicians.
In 2003, I went to a WWF meeting in a very rural spot in the centre of the Netherlands. At a large train station in the west of the country, I was able to buy a ticket to reach the village I was heading for. This ticket covered an express train, a local train and a taxi for the final few miles.
This kind of integrated ticketing for public transport had already been promised at the UK level by Labour in 1995. When they came to power, John Prescott published a transport strategy in 1997, which included this commitment.