ANYONE who lives, works or spends time in Glasgow will find something to adore, from its renowned culture and sporting events to its vast urban greenspace or the huge array of locally owned food and drink businesses.

At its best, Glasgow is a melting pot of activity and excitement.

But what we hear time and again both from residents and visitors is that our public transport system is not up to scratch.

This goes all the way back to the dismantling of the tram network and Thatcher’s deregulation of the bus market, leaving Glasgow’s public transport network confusing to navigate, expensive, disconnected and often unreliable.

Given a large proportion of people living in our city do not own a car, the importance of public transport shouldn’t be underestimated.

Good transport is essential to connect people with opportunities, jobs and services, friends, family and basic essentials. Yet all too often people in Glasgow simply can’t rely on it, making their lives harder and making inequality deeper.

It’s a gendered issue too, since women often follow more complicated routes with multiple stops and connections, due to persisting gender roles that place responsibilities for care and unpaid tasks on them.

I’m really encouraged to see a shift in the direction of travel.

In October, thanks to Green input to the Budget last year, peak rail fares were scrapped across Scotland for a trial period of six months, providing huge financial relief to people commuting to and from Glasgow at peak hours.

Every pound saved on this commute will instead go towards other expenses this winter, and it also makes it easier for people to choose the train over the car, helping us to reach our crucial climate targets.

I’m also delighted to see the call for the Cathcart Circle line to be reinstated to pre-pandemic levels has been answered.

Last year I wrote to ScotRail and the transport minister and attended ScotRail regional briefings along with Green councillors calling for this exact U-turn.

From December 10, the Glasgow South Electrics (which includes the Cathcart Circle) will see a fully electric hourly service back up and running Monday through Saturday, doubling the number of trains via Langside, Pollokshaws East, Shawlands, Maxwell Park and Pollokshields West.

This is great progress and signals a step change in transport planning.

It’s a reminder that the decisions made by companies and governments play a huge role in the daily choices we all make about how we get about.

Of course, we know this isn’t perfect and we want to see these train services extended to Sundays, increased in the evening and expanded to half hourly, as well as local train stations being more accessible.

I’m determined that Greens in Glasgow and in Parliament will continue to deliver the change that’s needed.

It’s clear that Glasgow can do better.

Campaign groups like Get Glasgow Moving, inset, have been putting the pressure on Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) for years and their efforts do not go unnoticed. The recent publication of the Miles Better report, which I’m delighted the Scottish Government was able to fund, presents the vision and the solutions in building a strong case for Glasgow’s public transport future.

This shared vision can help us to build a fully integrated, green, publicly owned transport network that is accessible, efficient, affordable and safe.

Glasgow can become the modern and inclusive European city that we aspire to be and can once again be a leader in providing world-class public transport.