ScotRail urged to ditch pricey first class seats with just 2% used last year

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ScotRail is being urged to ditch pricey first class seats after it emerged just 2 per cent were used last year - leaving 150,000 luxury seats going spare every month. The shocking findings come despite routine complaints of overcrowding on many key services this year - exacerbated by a reduced timetable which ran from July to the end of September.

The Scottish Greens, who obtained the data via freedom of information, hit out at the “waste” of seating while many in standard class are often forced to stand. The party found that from April 2023 to April 2024, a total of 39,000 first class tickets were bought on ScotRail services - only around 2 per cent of the 2 million that were available.

Now, the Greens are urging Scotland’s railway operator - which was nationalised by SNP ministers in 2022 - to declassify first class seating and phase out luxury carriages. They pointed to other examples around the UK including London Northwestern Railway, Southeastern Rail and Greater Anglia who have all taken steps to ditch first class seats.

Scottish Greens transport spokesman Mark Ruskell said: “Our railways should be for all of us. Every journey on a Scotrail service should be a first class experience, it shouldn’t be determined by your ability to pay extra.

“We’ve all been in the situation where we struggle to find seats or are forced to stand in cramped carriages, only for first class to be almost completely empty. That’s such a waste. It’s not good for anyone.

“Rail companies across the UK are reducing first class services. It is time for ScotRail to do the same. If we are to have a rail renaissance in Scotland we need low cost, reliable and accessible rail.”

The MSP added: “By removing so-called first class carriages we can increase capacity while building a fairer, better and more inclusive rail network that works for passengers, staff and the planet.” The Greens’ data shows that every month, nearly 153,000 first class seats are available to purchase - however, only a fraction of these are ever purchased.

In the most recent month of data, April 2024, just 2866 first class tickets were bought out of the 152,788 deluxe seats available, a rate of just 1.9 per cent. That plummeted even further between December and early January to just 1.3 per cent, with fewer than 2000 tickets bought.

The peak month for first class seating was June 2023, with 3681 tickets bought - still a paltry 2.4 per cent return on the allocated seats. Of the nearly 40,000 first class seats available every week, nearly three quarters of them (24,400) are on the busy Edinburgh-Glasgow service.

A first class day return ticket between the two cities currently costs £22.40, compared to £16.20 standard - rising to £43.70 at peak times, compared to £31.40 standard. Earlier this year, ScotRail was forced to introduce a temporary timetable slashing key services during busy summer months due to staff shortages and a pay row with drivers.

Transport Scotland said there are “no current plans” to remove first class seating, a spokeswoman adding: “Any permanent removal of this type of seating would need to take into account not only the loss of revenue on ScotRail services, but also the contribution received from cross-border first class services through a reciprocal arrangement. Where a service is particularly busy, ScotRail onboard staff can currently declassify first class to free up more seating.”

Claire Dickie, ScotRail Commercial Director, said: “ScotRail offers First Class on board selected services connecting Scotland's cities, and the revenue generated from this service is reinvested to deliver wider benefits for all customers.”

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