More than 300,000 youngsters still missing out on free bus travel, warn Lib Dems

The party accused the Scottish Government of prioritising ‘fanfare’ over delivery

A Lothian Buses service in Edinburgh

More than 300,000 young people are still missing out on bus passes despite the Scottish Government introducing free bus travel for under 22s almost two years ago and spending at least £1 million on marketing to promote the scheme, the Liberal Democrats have said.

Parliamentary questions submitted by the party show that 701,696 young people had taken up the pass by the end of October. This is 306,501 fewer than the total number of eligible young people.

The Young Person’s Free Bus Travel scheme opened for applications from January 10, 2022, and by the end of the year, the Scottish Government had spent £1,137,131 marketing the scheme.

Transport Scotland said the policy was “truly transformative” and it would continue to encourage all young people who have not yet applied to do so.

Jill Reilly, the Liberal Democrats’ transport spokeswoman, said: “Despite the government spending more than £1 million to drive uptake of free bus passes, almost two years since the scheme was introduced and more than a third of young people have been unable to take advantage.

“This is another striking example of the Scottish Government’s interest in fanfare rather than delivery. It extended bus passes with one hand, while with the other it took away support from bus operators already struggling with driver shortages and surging costs.

“On top of this, the administrative hurdles involved in signing up for this scheme are needlessly convoluted. Throwing money at PR won’t work if the SNP can’t get the foundations right.

"Getting people onto buses is a good way to reduce pollution from private cars and enable them to see more of our country. Scottish Liberal Democrats would put communities in charge of when and where buses go by adopting the Transport for London model. We would also expand the under-22 free travel scheme to include ferries, making the scheme fair for young people in the islands who depend on these services every day.

“All of this would meaningfully empower communities with better infrastructure and ensure that services are both frequent and reliable.”

A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: “Over 100 million journeys have now been made since the scheme began demonstrating the positive difference the free bus pass is making to the lives of over 700,000 under 22s.

“This policy is truly transformative and we continue to encourage all young people who haven’t yet applied to do so. The scheme reduces travel costs for young people and their families, encourages a shift towards public transport from private car use, and improves access to social, leisure, education and employment opportunities for tens of thousands of young people.”

The free bus travel scheme was previously criticised for its “confusing” sign-up process, with Transport Scotland admitting “some parents and young people might have found the online application process complex”.

All young people and children aged between five and 21 who live in Scotland can apply for a card. Children under five already travelled for free.