ScotRail has spent £1.2 million on emergency rail replacement services in the 15 months since nationalisation, according to new figures.
Detail of the spending was obtained by Scottish Labour through Freedom Of Information, who said it was proof of the "SNP's incompetence."
Though ScotRail said they only used bus services when work was being carried out by Network Rail "to keep the railway safe."
READ MORE: ScotRail services still affected in Storm Babet aftermath
The figures showed that since the start of the 2022/23 financial year, the publicly owned transport firm had spent £4.2m on replacement services, with most of that, £2.9m, around 70%, going to cover planned engineering works.
Another £270,000 was spent was on taxis for ferry passengers stranded by cancellations.
ScotRail says their duty of care means they will do their best to provide customers with a means of transportation that will get them to where they want to go.
Scottish Labour Transport spokesperson Alex Rowley claimed it was proof of the "same old SNP failure."
He said: "Eye-watering sums of money are being robbed from services as a result of the SNP’s incompetence.
“Public ownership should have been a chance to deliver a railway service that puts passengers’ needs first, but instead we are getting the same old SNP failure.
“Services have been plagued by cancellations and chaos, and passengers are paying eye-watering fares for the privilege.
“There must be urgent action to deliver the reliable, affordable rail service Scotland deserves.”
According to the most recent monthly figures, 87.7% of trains between 17 September and 14 October arrived within five minutes of their booked arrival time.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail Customer Operations Director, said: “We are absolutely committed to providing the best possible service for our customers.
“There has been no better example of this than the efforts the whole of Scotland’s Railway has made, and continues to make, this weekend to get the rail network back on track following the worst rain the country has experienced since 1891.
“The use of replacement bus services only occurs when we are unable to provide scheduled trains due to planned essential or, in some cases, emergency maintenance carried out by Network Rail to keep the railway safe."
READ MORE: Trains Scotland: Peak ScotRail fares scrapped for six months
“We know how much of an inconvenience it is when travel plans have to be changed due to planned maintenance or unforeseen emergencies, and we always endeavour to get customers to where they need to be when that happens.
“We believe the public understands this which is reflected in the most recent Transport Focus survey showing 91% level of passenger satisfaction.”
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said: “At a time when everyone in Scotland’s Railway is focused on service recovery and passenger safety following Storm Babet, this attack is misplaced.
“Despite recent extreme weather events, and strike action on cross-border services caused by the UK Government’s confrontational approach to industrial relations, cancellations remain low at around 2% of all services for the most recent reporting period.
"That’s fewer cancellations than the period immediately before public ownership.
“There is no industrial action on ScotRail services. It is right that ScotRail makes every effort to get disrupted passengers to their destinations, whether that’s because of planned improvement works or unforeseen events.
“While Labour carp from the sidelines we are committed to growing the success of ScotRail – with the removal of peak fares to get more people using our railways.”
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