Glasgow "desperately needs" the benefits free public transport would bring, the Scottish Greens co-leader said.

MSP Patrick Harvie has backed the Free Our City campaign which is calling for free public transport in Glasgow. 

He said previous cities which introduced a similar scheme tackled pollution by boosting passenger numbers and reducing car use. 

The Glasgow campaign will be launched today with an online conference from 11am. 

READ MORE: Here's how French city Dunkirk could solve Glasgow's free transport woes

Mr Harvie said: “Free public transport for all would be vital to building a green recovery and tackling the climate crisis.

“It’s a Scottish Greens policy and we already secured free bus travel for under-19s, coming into effect next year, so I warmly welcome this campaign.

“Cities like Tallinn and Dunkirk have shown us that free public transport can tackle pollution, boost passenger numbers, reduce private car use and open the city up for more marginalised communities.

“Glasgow desperately needs all these things.”

Other speakers at Saturday's conference include representatives from the Get Glasgow Moving public transport campaign, Scottish Youth Climate Strike organisers and Unite Scotland, the union for Glasgow’s bus drivers.

There will also be two speakers from European cities benefiting from free public transport – Xavier Dairaine, the director of engineering in urban communities in Dunkirk, France, where public transport charges were abolished in 2018, and Katrin Winter, a citizen in Tallinn, Estonia, which introduced the policy in 2013.