Being part of the Scottish Government gives the Scottish Greens an opportunity to deliver policies which make life easier for people across Helensburgh and Lomond.

One which I’m particularly proud to have had a hand in securing is the special offer removing peak-time rail fares.

Since last October a peak-time return ticket from Helensburgh to Glasgow costs £7.90 instead of £12.40 per return journey, a total saving of over £800 over the course of the offer.

Helensburgh-to-Edinburgh returns now cost £23.90, down from £41 per return journey, a total saving of more than £3,000 over the course of the offer.

This special offer was originally intended to run until the end of this month, but now, as a result of further work by Green MSPs we’ve been able to fund its extension until the end of June.

That’s because we recognise that Westminster’s cost-of-living crisis is still hurting households this spring. If only the UK Government hadn’t made such horrendous cuts to the Scottish Government’s budget, we would have been able to extend it for even longer.

As well as helping people, removing peak rail fares helps our planet by making public transport cheaper and in turn allowing more people to leave the car at home.

Every pound saved on a commute is money that can instead go towards heating, eating, and other costs which continue to rise as a result of Westminster’s cost of living crisis.

With three more months of discount fares than originally planned I’d encourage everyone to make as much use of these savings as possible, especially if you’re not a regular rail commuter.

Bringing back a special offer like this in the future will depend in part on evidence that it has encouraged more people to use the train, so those journeys between now and the end of June are really important.

This offer, alongside other Scottish Greens policies like free bus travel for under 22s and our upcoming expansion of free ferry trips for young island residents show our commitment to deliver for both people and planet.

Between the launch of the free bus travel scheme in January 2022 and December 2023, more than 8,000 young people in Argyll and Bute have taken more than 800,000 free bus journeys.

If you know a young person who still doesn’t have their bus pass though, please encourage them to go to www.freebus.scot to register.

I’m determined to continue delivering policies which will both ease the pressure on household budgets and tackle the climate emergency and I’m proud of the positive impact Greens in government are making for Helensburgh and for communities across Scotland.