Looking ahead

As an agency of the Scottish Government, we remain focused on the national outcomes of the National Performance Framework, and the four priorities of the National Transport Strategy: Reduces Inequalities, Takes Climate Action, Helps Deliver Inclusive Economic Growth and Improves our Health and Wellbeing.

Associated outcomes include the following:

• The contribution of transport to the Climate Change Plan and achieving Scotland’s commitment to net zero.
• Making our public transport system more accessible, available, and affordable, with the costs of transport more fairly shared across government, business, and society.
• Making progress on our target to reduce car use by 20% by 2030. This includes more 20 mph zones, improved road safety and Low Emission Zones in our four largest cities.
• Investing in spaces where people can walk, wheel and cycle safely and confidently, when undertaking short everyday journeys, and ensuring there are more spaces that put people first, not cars, with the development of active travel freeways underway.
• Delivering a higher proportion of zero-emission vehicles on our roads, doubling the electric charge point network to at least 6,000, continuing to grow the zero-emission bus fleet, and electrifying the East Kilbride rail line by the end of 2025.
• Deliver three of the six new major ferries currently under construction to provide services for Arran, Islay, and the Little Minch
• Adapting our strategic road networks including improving the resilience of the transport network to climate change impacts, while continuing to deliver road safety initiatives that will reduce road casualties in line with targets in the Road Safety Framework to 2030 and continued the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
• Driving the decarbonisation of transport through the promotion of modal shift of passengers and freight from road and air to rail.

These actions, alongside others, will not only help tackle climate change but also improve our air quality, contributing to our aim for Scotland to have the best air quality in Europe.

Future spending plans

The Scottish Budget 2024-25 provides details of our spending plans that will help deliver sustainable economic growth. The table below presents the allocations that were provided in line with the Scottish Budget: 2024 to 2025.

The 2024-25 Budget of £3,704,765 (2023-24 £3,538,459) is an increase of 4.7% from the prior year’s Budget.

The going concern basis has been used in preparation of this Annual Report and Accounts as all activities performed by Transport Scotland are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

Alison Irvine
Interim Chief Executive