Glasgow transport pilot encourages shift from cars to public transit

Glasgow City Council conducted a six-week trial where nearly 1,000 residents received unlimited travel on buses, ScotRail trains, and the Subway.

Participants included a mix of people recruited through the NHS and a child poverty pathfinder team to ensure a representative sample of the city population. The trial successfully encouraged many participants to stop driving.

Nearly half of the general public participants switched their primary mode of transport to public transit, while 19 percent of the pathfinder and NHS cohort made the same change. Officials observed that the free travel helped people reach work and health appointments while reducing daily costs. Despite these results, the city council cannot fund a permanent wide-scale version of the scheme because it cost £225,000 to run the pilot.

The council plans to share the trial results with the Scottish government to help shape national transport policy. The study also identified that the city needs more integrated services and improved reliability to overcome remaining barriers to travel.