If there’s a widely used public service that users are crying out to have a voice in, it’s our train network (The future of Scotrail? A co-op run by workers and passengers, News, December 4). The idea of Scotrail becoming a co-operative owned and run by a combination of users, staff and other stakeholders is, therefore, a welcome one.
Evidence from a survey we conducted a few years ago shows that, of those who had a view, 78 per cent of people in Scotland wanted users to have some ownership of the train network, indicating there is demand. Indeed, 31 per cent of people in Scotland said they would invest in a co-operative train network themselves.
It is vital to ensure that the creation of a mutual railway is done with involvement of staff and users, and isn’t imposed from above. But if done right, Scotrail could come to be seen as a pioneer in a new wave of train networks that give the people most affected by them a voice in what they do.
Ed Mayo
Secretary General, Co-operatives UK
Manchester
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