Transport Scotland's 'Concessionary Fares' for the global climate conference Cop26: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


Information requested

On the Transport Scotland website, Transport Scotland have paid the following companies invoices under the description ‘COP 26 Concessionary Fares’.

1. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
2. First Glasgow Limited
3. Abellio ScotRail Limited
4. Glasgow Airport Limited
5. Glasgow Prestwick Airport Limited
6. Edinburgh Airport Limited
7. Network Rail

For each company, I would like a breakdown of the invoice. Specifically:

1. How much was spent on concessionary fares for COP volunteers?
2. How much was spent on COP delegates?
3. How much was spent in discounted travel?
4. How much was spent on free travel?

Response

COP26 was a UK Government event held in Scotland and all costs were to be borne by UK Government. Provision of free travel is an obligation set out by the UN on the host country of COPs. A Memorandum of Understanding was agreed between UK Government and Scottish Government on a financial recovery process and a spend approval process put in place.

Delegates and volunteers who attended were provided with COP26 smartcards for use on public transport in Scotland during the conference to access free travel to and from conference venues. Both
delegates and volunteers received the same smartcard and so we are unable to provide a breakdown of journey costs based on traveller type.

The total cost of bus, tram, subway and rail journeys undertaken by delegates and volunteers was £1,018,970.25, and this was subsequently reimbursed to the Scottish Government.

Invoices relating to Network Rail and air travel were mis-labelled as concessionary travel. However, we can confirm no amount was paid for COP26 delegate or volunteer travel to Network Rail or for any air travel.

A breakdown to the amounts paid to each company or each mode of transport cannot be shared as the disclosure would (or would be likely to) prejudice substantially the commercial interests of the transport
operators in question and therefore is exempt under section 33(1)(b)) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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