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Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel Scheme

What is it?

The Free Bus Travel Scheme will allow young people under the age of 22 to travel for free on buses across Scotland. This starts from 31 January 2022.

Who is this for?

Around 930,000 young people in Scotland will benefit from this! According to a study by Transport Scotland, 70% of young people said they would use public transport more regularly if it was free. This will encourage young people to go out more and socialise with others and it will also help them financially. The scheme is accessible for young people under the age of 22.

How do you get one?

Applications are now open to all young people between the ages of 5-21 years. Young people will need a new or replacement National Entitlement Card (NEC) or Young Scot National Entitlement Card (Young Scot NEC) for free travel. Children under 5 years already travel for free on buses and do not need a card. You can apply for a NEC by clicking here.

Many older and disabled adults can also access free bus travel by applying for a National Entitlement Card.

Barriers to accessing free bus travel

We know that applying can be more challenging for some people.

One member of our team shared:

“Part of the application is to submit a passport, driving licence or verify your identity through Yoti. This made it difficult for me as I don’t have a passport or driving licence. Even through Yoti, it still required a passport or other forms of identification, but did not include a Biometric Residence Permit which is the only ID I have at the moment.

This makes it also difficult for other people and in particular those who are refugees and asylum seekers.”

Different ways to apply

We know about 2 ways to get around this issue.

  1. If you are not able to apply online, contact your local council who can can assist you with alternative methods to confirm your details. You can find all the councils at the bottom of this website: www.young.scot/the-young-scot-card
  2. If you’re around Glasgow, visit any Glasgow Life Library and they will help you complete the application. Find the Glasgow Life libraries here: www.glasgowlife.org.uk/young-glasgow/young-scot

Is it easy to apply through a council or library?

One person we talked to said it worked well:
“My local council (East Renfrewshire) were very helpful with confirming my details in order to add the free bus travel service to my Young Scot card”
We hope this helps you access free bus travel! Good luck with your application.