Scotrail recently announced a new flexible ticket for commuters travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The new return ticket is valid for one month and customers can travel at any time of the day, handy for those visiting for extended periods of time, or even a weekend.
But Scotrail, who is currently run by Dutch firm Abellio, quickly came under fire when they revealed the price would be £30 for peak times.
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Taking to Twitter to announce the news Scotrail wrote: "You asked for it so we've delivered it. You can now book return journeys between Glasgow and Edinburgh with the return ticket valid for up to one month. Travel any time of day for £30, or with off-peak travel it's just £18.40"
However many Scots claimed that the railway firm missed the mark.
One disgruntled customer replied: "You clearly didn’t listen @ScotRail if you think that a £30 return between Glasgow & Edinburgh, at peak time is affordable for most working people #Nationalise"
Another said: "£30 to go from Glasgow to Edinburgh, scotrail are a joke"
"I can get to Newcastle for cheaper than Glasgow and I live in Edinburgh." Another fumed.
One suggested it would have been acceptable if the route was longer: "I’m not sure £30 to travel from Edinburgh to Glasgow and back is the win @ScotRail seem to think it is. Edinburgh to Aberdeen, maybe."
As the Abellio contract is set to come to an end early after criticisms over performance levels, Scotrail is getting prepared to be taken over by the public body sector by the end of March 2022.
A ScotRail spokesperson said: “As well as offering savings, our new Open Return fares between Glasgow and Edinburgh provide customers with the freedom of being able to make their return journey any time within a month, without having to buy another ticket.
“We’re confident that these fares will help bring former customers back, and attract new ones, as we continue our work to ensure that Scotland’s Railway is fit for the future.”
The new Open Return fares are not to replace every day travel, such as commutes to work. Customers can still take advantage of season tickets which offer significant savings compared to buying a standard ticket every day.
The fares offer flexibility to travel at a later date, without the need to buy a second ticket. They also offer savings for customers compared to buying a second ticket for the return journey on the day, which customers would have had to do until these fare were launched.
The current tickets available are as followed.
- Anytime day single between Glasgow and Edinburgh is £15.50
- Off-peak day single is £13.50
- Anytime day return is £26.60
- Off-peak day return is £13.70
