A pioneering local gift card scheme has enabled 3,500 journeys on the Glasgow Subway in a little under a year – helping Glaswegians to travel across the city, as well as shop, visit attractions, eat out and access services locally.
In August 2022, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) became the first major travel operator to accept the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card – an innovative scheme designed to lock money into regional economies across Scotland.
Coming on board as Glasgow City Council distributed cost-of-living assistance to more than 85,000 households across the city through the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, SPT’s support for the local initiative added another way for people to spend using the gift card – boosting the multi-million pound drive to support Glaswegians and city businesses.
Since announcing the partnership, Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Cards have been used at all 15 of SPT’s Subway stations, by more than 400 customers who have made more than 1,000 purchases – with SPT chiefs now marking the milestone of 3,500 journeys taken using the gift card.
SPT Chair, Councillor Stephen Dornan, said: “We were delighted to have Subway join the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card and it’s fantastic that, in just under a year, the programme has supported around 3,500 journeys on the Subway network.
“The most common purchases have been for single and return tickets but some customers have also topped up their Subway Pay-As-You-Go credit and even purchased season tickets up to 28 days.
“This really goes to show the versatility of the gift card as a force for good locally – enabling our customers even more opportunity to use the Subway to access local employment and education opportunities, as well as shops, restaurants and other local facilities and attractions.”
Councillor Stephen Dornan at a SPT station with the Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Card
Kimberley Guthrie, Interim Chief Officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, the organisation behind the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, added: “The Subway already offers great value and convenience for travel around the city, and it’s fantastic that the innovative Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Card has supported thousands of journeys within Glasgow by public transport – enabling people to live, work and play whilst locking money into the local economy.
“Choosing local is not only good for our economy and communities, but the environment too. The success of our partnership with SPT shows the true potential of the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card as a means of helping people to travel sustainably and live well locally.”
The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card can be used by businesses of all kinds, giving local people another way in which they can support their services or goods. Find out more about how your business can benefit by clicking here.
Use of the Scotland Loves Local Glasgow Gift Card on the Subway has been a real success
