The SNP has been accused of making “false promises” after ditching a plan to offer free bus travel to asylum seekers in Scotland.
Humza Yousaf pledged last year the Scottish Government would invest £2m in a nationwide scheme to help refugees. The then first minister said in November the policy would make public transport “fair and accessible to all”.
He told MSPs at the time: “I am pleased that we have announced that £2 million will be made available in next year’s budget to progress free bus travel for people seeking asylum.”
But a Freedom of Information request has now revealed that no money was allocated to fund free bus travel for asylum seekers when the Scottish Government set its annual budget earlier this year.
The policy was formally dumped in August following the collapse of the powersharing agreement between the SNP and Greens.
Paul O’Kane, Scottish Labour social justice spokesman, said: “It’s clear the SNP never had a real plan to deliver on this commitment. Once again the SNP was more interested chasing a headline than governing.
“Announcing policies without a second thought on how to pay for them is right from the Tory playbook, and it is a betrayal of the asylum seekers they pledged to help.
“Scotland deserves better than this chaotic SNP government and its long record of false promises.”
The Record understands an initial pilot offering free bus travel to asylum seekers in Glasgow last year was funded from the previous sustainable travel budget.
The Scottish Greens – which have championed the policy – are now pushing for the SNP Government to readopt it.
Mark Ruskell, the party’s transport spokesman, said: “The commitment to deliver free bus travel for people seeking asylum followed years of campaigning and cross-party support. The announcement that it would no longer be going ahead was a betrayal of that work and of trust.
“When we secured the agreement to implement the policy we were clear that it would come from unspent money in the active travel budget, which at the time was managed by a Scottish Green minister.
“Through negotiation, the Scottish Greens secured the largest ever active travel budget of £220 million, which would have more than accommodated this modest spend on a transformative policy. Unfortunately, just three weeks into the 24-25 financial year, the Bute House Agreement ended.
“This is yet another example of how having Scottish Green voices in the room was allowing progressive policies to be delivered, and that without that influence the SNP will dilute or cut them.
“Free bus travel is a small but significant change that could make a big difference for some of the most marginalised people in our society. The Scottish Government must live up to the promise it made.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson previously said the policy was dropped as it was “having to make very difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year”.
The Record asked Transport Scotland for comment.
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