ScotRail shell out more than £200k on taxis to replace cancelled services
The rail operator have spent the amount on taxis since April 2022
Last updated 16th Apr 2023
ScotRail have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on taxis to replace cancelled train services in the 10 months since April 2022.
According to figures from the Scottish Liberal Democrats, the publicly owned rail operator shelled out more than £200,000 on taxis, including on one occasion sending an eight-seat vehicle from Wick to Inverness, which stopped at every train station along the route, for a cost of almost £800.
The figures show the equivalent of over £20,000 a month being spent on private vehicles since the service was taken into public ownership.
Lib Dem transport spokeswomen Jill Reilly said: “This is money that should be available for cutting fares and updating trains, carriages and stations.
"Commuters and rail users need a quality service that they can rely on if we are to tempt people out of private cars.”
Scottish Government Transport Minister Kevin Stewart stressed: “Any disruption to passengers is regrettable and it is only right that ScotRail do all they can to get customers to their destinations.
“This includes providing a taxi when this is the only means by which passengers can complete their journeys.
"Rather than criticise the ways in which passengers are assisted in such circumstances, we are focused on ensuring the publicly owned ScotRail is a success."
In May last year nearly 300 taxis were used, and in July the number was around 230.