TRANSPORT minister Humza Yousaf has agreed to include Fife Council's views on rail fares in the National Transport Review.

As reported previously in the Press, West Fife rail passengers are being ripped off with unfair ticket pricing where costs can be up to three times more for the same length of journey elsewhere in the country.

Fife Council's deputy leader and spokesperson for economy and planning, Councillor Lesley Laird, met Mr Yousaf recently to highlight the inequality.

"I am pleased that, for the first time, the need for a fair deal for Fifers on rail fares has been acknowledged at government level," she said.

"At our recent meeting, the minister was very receptive to the case that we are making about the significant price anomaly in rail pricing in Fife. I am delighted that he has taken on board our case and will now ensure that this will be looked at as part of the recently announced review of the Scottish National Transport Strategy."

Cllr Laird said she had hoped for a quicker solution, however, was content that the long-standing issue would be formally addressed through the review. She added: "However, I do want to clarify the timings of this review and, given that Fifers are already paying way over the odds, then I think it would be reasonable to ensure that there is no further increase in fares during the period of the review.

"I now plan to write to the minister to formally make this request."

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said the Transport Minister had confirmed the Scottish Government's commitment to ensuring that rail fares were affordable throughout Scotland in a letter to Fife Council.

"He also confirmed the National Transport Strategy (NTS) review, due to commence in 2016-17, will take a collaborative approach, giving stakeholders and communities across Scotland a greater say in influencing the development of transport policy, infrastructure and services at both a local and a national level," added the spokesperson.

“Fife Council’s representations in respect of rail fares highlight the importance of our engagement with relevant stakeholders to develop future strategies to tackle inequality throughout the country. Fife Council will certainly be among the stakeholders invited to contribute to the NTS review work.”