Soldiers hurt in battle go free on buses

Published on Friday 4 July 2008 14:20

INJURED forces veterans are to be given free bus travel throughout Scotland, the Scottish Government announced today.

The move comes as a proposed extension of the concessionary fares scheme for elderly and disabled people.

Finance Secretary John Swinney published the terms for the review of the scheme, but said there would be no change to the eligibility criteria for those who currently benefit from the scheme.

He said the review, set in train by the previous Scottish Executive, would assess how the scheme has been operating since its introduction in April 2006, and look at ways to improve the scheme.

Mr Swinney said: "The concessionary fares scheme has been a widespread success, bringing free travel to elderly and disabled people across Scotland.

"We now want to look at how the scheme can be improved even further. For example, I want to ensure that eligibility is extended so that injured veterans in Scotland are able to benefit from free bus travel."