
Victory! After widow's plea, SNP finally stops free bus passes for thug teenagers
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said people who abuse the SNP /Green under-22 bus scheme will have their passes confiscated or permanently removed.
It represents a victory for widow Susan Rollinson, who has been urging the government to remove passes from repeat offenders who disrupt bus travel.
The Mail on Sunday told how her husband, bus driver Keith Rollinson, 58, was killed by a 15-year-old yob at a bus station in Elgin, Moray, last year.
And we highlighted how the youngster was eligible for the Scottish Government travel scheme introduced in 2022 – which allows under-22s unlimited free travel on Scotland's buses – even though he had already attacked another driver.
The thug was sentenced to four years and four months in secure accommodation after admitting Mr Rollinson's culpable homicide.
Last month Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay wrote to SNP Ministers demanding the teenager does not receive another bus pass after his release from custody, when he will be aged around 21.
Now the SNP government has finally agreed to allow for temporary or permanent bans on bus cards for abusive passengers.
Mrs Rollinson, 62, of Elgin, said: 'I am so grateful to The Mail on Sunday and Russell Findlay for making this change happen. I cannot thank them enough.
'I can never change what happened to my Keith, but if this changes anything for another family, I am happy.'
The teenage killer – who cannot be named for legal reasons – attacked Mr Rollinson in February last year. The bus driver later died in hospital. In response to Mr Findlay's recent letter, Ms Hyslop confirmed bus passes could be confiscated from thugs.
She said: 'The First Minister set out the Programme for Government. This includes the commitment to suspend use of concessionary travel cards on a temporary and potentially permanent basis as a result of antisocial behaviour when using the card.
'Detailed work on the best mechanism for achieving this is under way, including robust impact assessments, the development of a behaviour code and what future legislation will be required.'
Ms Hyslop added: 'I have the greatest sympathy for Ms Rollinson and everything her family has been through.
'Bus drivers are too often impacted by the antisocial behaviour of a small minority of passengers.
'Everyone should be able to go to their work without fear of abuse and to travel safely on board public transport. Please pass on my condolences again to Ms Rollinson and her family.'
Last night Mr Findlay welcomed the change but said more clarity was needed over when the SNP would implement the new bans.
He said: 'While this commitment to finally do the right thing is very welcome, it's not good enough that the SNP are unable to say when it might happen.
'It appears they are making the process unnecessarily complicated. How difficult can it be to simply remove bus passes from killers and other violent thugs?'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US and EU avert trade war with 15% tariff deal
TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. struck a framework trade agreement with the European Union on Sunday, imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods - half the threatened rate - and averting a bigger trade war between the two allies that account for almost a third of global trade. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal at Trump's luxury golf course in western Scotland after an hour-long meeting that pushed the hard-fought deal over the line, following months of negotiations. "I think this is the biggest deal ever made," Trump told reporters, lauding EU plans to invest some $600 billion in the United States and dramatically increase its purchases of U.S. energy and military equipment. Trump said the deal, which tops a $550 billion deal signed with Japan last week, would expand ties between the trans-Atlantic powers after years of what he called unfair treatment of U.S. exporters. Von der Leyen, describing Trump as a tough negotiator, said the 15% tariff applied "across the board", later telling reporters it was "the best we could get." "We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world, and it's a big deal. It's a huge deal. It will bring stability. It will bring predictability," she said. The agreement mirrors key parts of the framework accord reached by the U.S. with Japan, but like that deal, it leaves many questions open, including tariff rates on spirits, a highly charged topic for many on both sides of the Atlantic. The deal, which Trump said calls for $750 billion of EU purchases of U.S. energy in coming years and "hundreds of billions of dollars" of arms purchases, likely spells good news for a host of EU companies, including Airbus ( opens new tab, Mercedes-Benz ( opens new tab and Novo Nordisk ( opens new tab, if all the details hold. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal, saying it averted a trade conflict that would have hit Germany's export-driven economy and its large auto sector hard. German carmakers, VW, Mercedes and BMW were some of the hardest hit by the 27.5% U.S. tariff on car and parts imports now in place. The baseline 15% tariff will still be seen by many in Europe as too high, compared with Europe's initial hopes to secure a zero-for-zero tariff deal. Bernd Lange, the German Social Democrat who heads the European Parliament's trade committee, said the tariffs were imbalanced and the hefty EU investment earmarked for the U.S. would likely come at the bloc's own expense. Trump retains the ability to increase the tariffs in the future if European countries do not live up to their investment commitments, a senior U.S. administration official told reporters on Sunday evening. The euro rose around 0.2% against the dollar, sterling and yen within an hour of the deal's being announced. Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at Teneo, said Sunday's accord was "merely a high-level, political agreement" that could not replace a carefully hammered out trade deal: "This, in turn, creates the risk of different interpretations along the way, as seen immediately after the conclusion of the U.S.-Japan deal." While the tariff applies to most goods, including semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, there are exceptions. The U.S. will keep in place a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum. Von der Leyen suggested the tariff could be replaced with a quota system; a senior administration official said EU leaders had asked that the two sides continue to talk about the issue. Von der Leyen said there would be no tariffs from either side on aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, certain generic drugs, semiconductor equipment, some agricultural products, natural resources and critical raw materials. "We will keep working to add more products to this list," von der Leyen said, adding that spirits were still under discussion. A U.S. official said the tariff rate on commercial aircraft would remain at zero for now, and the parties would decide together what to do after a U.S. review is completed, adding there is a "reasonably good chance" they could agree to a lower tariff than 15%. No timing was given for when that probe would be completed. The deal will be sold as a triumph for Trump, who is seeking to reorder the global economy and reduce decades-old U.S. trade deficits, and has already reached similar framework accords with Britain, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, although his administration has not hit its goal of "90 deals in 90 days." U.S. officials said the EU had agreed to lower non-tariff barriers for automobiles and some agricultural products, though EU officials suggested the details of those standards were still under discussion. "Remember, their economy is $20 trillion ... they are five times bigger than Japan," a senior U.S. official told reporters during a briefing. "So the opportunity of opening their market is enormous for our farmers, our fishermen, our ranchers, all our industrial products, all our businesses." Trump has periodically railed against the EU, saying it was "formed to screw the United States" on trade. He has fumed for years about the U.S. merchandise trade deficit with the EU, which in 2024 reached $235 billion, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The EU points to the U.S. surplus in services, which it says partially redresses the balance. Trump has argued that his tariffs are bringing in "hundreds of billions of dollars" in revenues for the U.S. while dismissing warnings from economists about the risk of inflation. On July 12, Trump threatened to apply a 30% tariff on imports from the EU starting on August 1, after weeks of negotiations failed to reach a comprehensive trade deal. The EU had prepared countertariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) of U.S. goods in the event a deal to avoid the tariffs could not be struck.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN GLOVER: Starmer is right to reject demands to recognise a Palestinian state. But how long can this master of the U-turn hold firm?
When the Prime Minister meets Donald Trump in Scotland today they will have many more pressing matters to discuss than the American President's golf swing. Gaza faces the prospect of mass starvation. The decision of Israel 's government on Saturday night to let in limited humanitarian aid will provide some relief but the crisis certainly hasn't passed.


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Starmer to recall cabinet from summer recess as he faces pressure to back Palestinian state as humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens
Sir Keir Starmer will recall his Cabinet from summer recess this week to hold talks on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Prime Minister is under pressure to follow French president Emmanuel Macron in recognising a Palestinian state as horror continues to mount over the conflict. Sir Keir has so far resisted the calls, saying it should instead come as part of a wider peace process, with senior Labour figures saying he fears upsetting the US. The PM is expected to use his relationship with Donald Trump to push for Washington to restart ceasefire talks when they meet in Scotland today. But more than 200 MPs have urged him to immediately recognise a Palestinian state. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan are said to be among those urging the PM to move on the issue. Labour pledged to do so in their manifesto and government officials say it is a question of 'when, not if'. Referring to his meeting with Sir Keir, President Trump said yesterday: 'We'll be discussing that [a ceasefire agreement]. I think we're going to be discussing a lot about Israel. 'They're very much involved in terms of wanting something to happen. [Starmer] is doing a very good job, by the way.' But Sir Keir faces another backbench rebellion after recess as the Scottish National Party has said it will table a 'Palestine Recognition Bill' if he does not change tack, which could see his own party vote with the SNP. It comes as Israel introduced daily pauses to fighting in parts of Gaza to open up humanitarian corridors following international horror at images of starvation. The IDF yesterday stopped some operations from 10am to 8pm to help get aid in. Leaders have committed to continue the ten-hour 'tactical pauses' every day until further notice following pressure from Israel's allies. Britain is among countries backing airdrops of aid, including flour, sugar and canned food, with Israel, Jordan and the UAE running the flights. It is the first time the Israeli Air Force has carried out aid drops during the conflict. Meanwhile, the IDF has also designated 'secure routes' from 6am to 11pm to enable the 'safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine across the Gaza Strip'. But doctors and aid workers on the ground warned a full ceasefire is needed to stop the 'mass starvation'. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims six more people have died from malnutrition – bringing the total to 133, including 87 children. It also alleged nine Palestinians were killed and 54 injured at an aid convoy route in central Gaza. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said tactical pauses 'alone cannot alleviate the needs of those desperately suffering in Gaza'.