Just 44% of voters in remote rural areas satisfied with public transport

Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Jamie Stone has today criticised the Scottish Government’s travel plans as he highlighted figures showing that less than half of voters in remote rural areas are satisfied with public transport.

Figures from the Scottish Housing Survey, analysed by Scottish Liberal Democrats, reveal that just 44% of those who live in areas classified as Remote Rural rate public transport as satisfactory. This compares to 78% of those who live in areas classified as Large Urban areas.

Mr Stone said:

“I would urge the First Minister to travel by public transport to some of the further corners of my constituency and see whether he is satisfied by the service at the end of it.

“People in Caithness and Sutherland and across rural Scotland are fed up with being treated like second class citizens.

“If Scotland is ever to meet its climate change commitments then how we travel has to change. We need more electric bus services rolled out. We need a ferry procurement programme which recognises the strain that delays and cancellations place on those in coastal communities and we need rail services which meet the demands of local communities, not distant managers in Glasgow or London.

“I will continue to press for those in charge to come and see the challenges communities are facing first-hand.”