Think-tank adviser says stop free bus passes for under-65s

THE entitlement age for free bus passes in Scotland should be increased to at least 65, a leading Scottish social policy expert has claimed.

It comes as bus companies warned of a fare hike to subsidise what they claimed were the soaring costs of the SNP’s concessionary travel scheme.

Dr Jim McCormick, Scotland adviser with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, also said that keeping free bus travel for the elderly for long coast-to-coast journeys should no longer be a government priority, backing the introduction of charges for those using buses to travel lengthy distances.

The think-tank adviser also called for an annual charge to be introduced for bus passes along similar lines to the senior rail card, as part of a package of reforms he conceded would be “controversial”.

Dr McCormick’s strongly worded criticism of the scheme came after the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, representing more than 1,000 bus and coach firms, warned of fare hikes and cuts to services because of what it insisted was a lack of Scottish Government funding for the scheme.

Director George Mair said the current funding arrangements were “simply not sustainable”. He added the scheme was running out of money, with an expected shortfall of over £7 million for the next financial year.

Dr McCormick, who was previously director of independent think-tank the Scottish Council Foundation (SCF), claimed that there were “blind spots” over funding for the free bus passes scheme, which he said sometimes benefited the wealthy at the expense of poorer Scots.

He said: “We should look at raising the age of entitlement to at least 65 and having some sort of small annual charge like for the old people’s rail card.

“This could make the scheme more sustainable and save money that could be put into improving public transport in rural areas for example.

“It’s a controversial idea, but we can’t have blind spots. Keeping long-distance travel from Stranraer to Wick, for example, doesn’t seem a high priority at a time of austerity.”

However, Scotland’s minister for transport Keith Brown insisted there would be no changes to free bus travel for the elderly and claimed that the SNP administration had increased funding for service operators.

He said: “The priority must be to ensure that the concessionary scheme continues to provide free local and long-distance bus travel throughout Scotland for older and disabled people at any time of day, on any routes, for any number of journeys.