04/09/2026
⚡️🚌 £2 fare cap in the SPT (Strathclyde) region from 7 September 2026 🚌 ⚡️
We are pleased to confirm that eligible Ember services will see reduced fares under this scheme. The initiative is designed to make bus travel more affordable across the region, and joins a similar scheme in the Highlands area that started earlier this year.
Ember is an intercity operator, so the cap affects our services slightly differently. The £2 fare cap will affect Ember's trips (or parts of trips) within the SPT region and the Highlands region, but not all journeys right across Scotland at this stage.
Any single journey entirely within the new fare cap area will cost no more than £2.
For journeys leaving the area, passengers will still partially benefit as the portion within it will be capped at £2 and the usual fare will apply to the rest. Here are a few examples:
- Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station to Glasgow Airport: £2, down from £4.35
- Glasgow to Fort William: £4, down from £15.55. This journey benefits from two fare caps: the new one in the Glasgow region and the existing cap in the Highlands.
- Glasgow to Dundee: £10, down from £11.05
- Any fares already under £2 do not change
We appreciate that this is all a little complicated on paper, but the good news is that:
- The new fares will be calculated and applied automatically to bookings once the scheme starts
- Nothing will change in Ember's super easy online booking system, and you don't need do do anything differently
- This went very smoothly when introduced in the Highlands, and we expect the same here
If you have any questions once the scheme gets underway, we'll be happy to help via the usual support channels.
