Campaigners are rallying support in a bid to overturn the axing of a scheme that provided free bus travel for people in Scotland seeking asylum.
A motion proposed by the Scottish Greens at their opposition debate on Wednesday, 9 October calls for the Scottish Government to restore their commitment to the scheme.
This debate will go to a vote and Maryhill Integration Network is urging everyone to email their local MSPs to attend the debate and support the proposed motion. Find your MSPs here. You can use the template email below and watch the debate here.
‘Dear INSERT NAME
I hope this email finds you well.
I am emailing regarding the debate at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 9th October for Free Bus Travel for people seeking asylum in Scotland.
I am asking you as your constituent/organisation in your constituency to attend the debate and vote in favour of extending free bus travel to people seeking asylum in Scotland.
In October 2023, the Scottish Government announced that it would allocate £2m of the 2023/24 budget to roll out free bus travel to people seeking refugee protection. This commitment came after more than 2 years of campaigning from those with lived experience of seeking asylum here in Scotland – we were delighted.
But in August 2024, the Scottish Government announced suddenly that they had scrapped the scheme.
This came as a huge disappointment for many organisations, especially for those who have been campaigning for this change, sharing their experiences and highlighting the impact it would have made.
People seeking asylum do not have the right to work. They are forced to live on barely £50 a week to meet all their essential needs whilst they wait for months – sometimes years – for a decision on their application for asylum.
People seeking refugee protection are forced into poverty because of a hostile asylum system. But here in Scotland we can do more to support people seeking asylum to rebuild their lives here. And extending free bus travel should be part of that.
On Wednesday, the Scottish Greens will bring a motion to the Scottish Parliament chamber calling on the Scottish Government to re-consider their decision and to restore the commitment to free bus travel to people seeking asylum.
I am asking you to vote in favour of this motion.
I hope you can participate in this debate as such a small change will have a significant positive impact for people seeking asylum in Scotland.
Kind regards,