UNIONS and campaigners have kicked off a week of action to scrap peak fares in the Linlithgow constituency of SNP transport secretary Fiona Hyslop after she returned them to Scotland’s railways this week.

Commuters who have seen travel costs rocket by a third since a pilot scheme which scrapped peak fares ended on Monday offered their support to Aslef activists, including their Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay, who had branded the move a “tax on workers.”

Launching a petition urging the Scottish government U-turn on the pilot scheme, Scottish Trades Union Congress deputy general secretary Dave Moxham said: “If we are serious about tackling the climate crisis and supporting workers, the Scottish government must end this outdated and unfair fare structure.

“Scrapping peak fares permanently isn’t just the right thing to do —it’s essential for a just and sustainable future.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Imogen Dow said: “Transport is Scotland’s biggest source of climate pollution so if ministers are serious about getting our climate commitments back on track that means changing the ways we travel.  

“Making sure our public transport is affordable, accessible and reliable is essential to addressing climate change as well as tackling toxic air pollution from traffic. 

“Bringing down fares is a win-win-win of a positive climate policy that will be widely supported, improve people’s lives and bring down emissions.”

Speaking on Monday, Scottish National Party First Minister John Swinney argued: “We’ve given the peak fares pilot a lot more time than we originally planned, we promised to do it for six months, we actually did it for 12 months, to give it as much opportunity to demonstrate its value.

“Unfortunately, it did not deliver the sufficient shift in passenger numbers to justify the cost involved and the government has got to live within its means.”