iStockScotRail’s alcohol ban is “not being enforced” by staff according to one MSP who has called for restrictions to be lifted.
The carrying and consumption of alcohol has been prohibited on ScotRail trains and in stations since November 2020 in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the pandemic.
John Mason MSP raised the issue during questions in the Scottish Parliament to transport secretary Fiona Hyslop on Thursday.
The former SNP MSP, who now stands as an independent, claimed the ban was “clearly not being enforced” and called for the Scottish Government to scrap the restrictions.
He said: “ScotRail does not like it and its staff refuse to do anything with it.
“They joke with passengers who are drinking alcohol and make no effort to stop them.
“British Transport Police does not agree with the ban either and says that it cannot be enforced. Surely we either have to remove the ban or do something to make it enforceable.”
Hyslop said: “That is why I am actively looking at the issue. Tackling and preventing violence against women and girls and wider antisocial behaviour has to be the main focus.
“That was made clear to me in the message that I received from the round-table session on women’s safety on public transport that I held on December 6 last year.
“All rail unions, ScotRail and British Transport Police are of the view that the ban perversely undermines focus on compliance with what is acceptable or not acceptable behaviour and want the ban lifted.
“However, we also have the public messaging about alcohol to consider, which is why I am actively discussing the issue with my Cabinet colleagues.”
Hyslop added that ScotRail staff “do not record such observations or action each time it occurs on train services”.
She added that the discussion around the ban was a “genuine dilemma”.
ScotRail advice on its website reads: “We have a strict no alcohol policy in place across the whole of the ScotRail network.
“No alcohol can be consumed in any of our stations or onboard any ScotRail trains.
“Customers cannot visibly carry alcohol either opened, or unopened. It must be carried in a bag where it cannot be seen.
“Any person acting disorderly or showing specific signs of intoxication will not be permitted to travel.”
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