Scotland needs a fairer transport system as almost two-thirds of Scots on low incomes worry about being able to afford travel, a leading think tank has said.

Research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR Scotland) said the majority of Scots (56%) with a household income below £15,000 want to see radical change to reduce the reliance on cars.

The data, from a YouGov poll that surveyed 498 low-income Scots, found 62% worried about being able to afford transport, while 66% do not believe they are being listened to in decisions about transport in their area.

The think tank is urging the Scottish Government to make public transport a more affordable, attractive option by introducing a single ticket or season pass that provides access across all community transport such as trains and buses.

It would replicate European countries such as Germany which offers citizens a €9 (£7.61) monthly transport pass in response to the energy crisis.

We took to the streets of Glasgow to ask your thoughts.

Glasgow Times:

Aimee McGregor, 18, from Maryhill, said: "I feel like it's going to be hard to pay [for travel] because everything is going up, especially for people that struggle with money.

“Life in general is going to be hard with everything going up." 

She then went on to detail how both bus and train prices have gone up "quite a lot" and how that is something that she worries about. 

She added that an affordable card “for trains and buses that everyone could use would be good”.

Glasgow Times:

Anthony Dinning, 52, who was in the city visiting his father, said: "It's cheaper for me to get a taxi in and out of town because they're cheaper than the buses and services are being cut back.

"Operation costs are on the increase, components are on the increase, and it's just the general state of the UK economy, unfortunately." 

Glasgow Times:

Kieran Souch, 20, who travels into the city for a culinary course, said: "When it comes to transport, I'm not too worried. But with everything else going up, that definitely affects me.

“When my bus pass expires though, I'm going to have to start paying for the bus [and] that gets a bit worrying, especially with the costs of food. 

"When it does expire, I'll definitely be a bit more hesitant because I'll have to watch my costs.

"I definitely think [alternative ways to travel and lowering costs is] something that Glasgow could adopt, even if it's just for a short time to see if it works.

“Even if it's £10 a month for a bus ticket, you know, it's going to help a lot of people."

Glasgow Times:

In response to the poll, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having across Scotland and we continue to do all we can to ensure people, communities and businesses are given as much support as possible to deal with these rising costs, despite many of the powers required to tackle these issues being reserved to the UK Government.

“We know that transport expenditure poses another – often unavoidable – expense, and our aim is to ensure access to affordable, accessible and sustainable transport across the country.

“We welcome that a majority of people surveyed share our ambition to cut car use and that it will help create a fairer Scotland.

“We recognise the challenge too in ensuring people who need to use public transport the most can afford to do so, without that impinging on other living costs.

“We need more people to choose to use the car less, but also to realise that with current fuel costs, using the car can be more expensive now than using public transport where that is available.

“We will continue to look at ways to make public transport more affordable during this crisis and beyond, including by progressing our Fair Fares review with urgency.”