Strategic context

Our public transport services and networks connect people and communities to opportunities, services and amenities – for example providing access to college, universities, jobs, family and friends. Without our public transport services, such access might not be possible and therefore public transport is vital in delivering on our vision for a fairer Scotland. 

A sustainable and viable public transport system is also vital in achieving our ambitious targets on climate change mitigation as well as our target to reduce car kilometres by 20% by 2030.

Scotland`s National Transport Strategy (NTS2) sets out a vision that:

We will have a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system, helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.”

This vision is underpinned by four priorities and three outcomes against each priority area as follows:

Reduces inequalities

  • Will provide fair access to the services we need
  • Will be easy to use for all
  • Will be affordable for all

Takes climate action

  • Will help deliver our net-zero target
  • Will adapt to the effects of climate change
  • Will promote greener, cleaner choices

Helps deliver inclusive economic growth

  • Will get people and goods to where they need to get to
  • Will be reliable, efficient and high quality
  • Will use beneficial innovation

Improves our health and wellbeing

  • Will be safe and secure for all
  • Will enable us to make healthy travel choices
  • Will help make our communities great places to live

In addition to this policy direction laid out in the National Transport Strategy, the First Minister`s Policy Prospectus, Equality, Opportunity, Community: New leadership - A fresh start, published in April 2023, sets out a commitment that by 2026 we will have advanced towards making our public transport system more accessible, available and affordable, with the costs of transport more fairly shared across government, business and society.

Given this strategic policy context, central and local government provides targeted support to provide free or discounted public transport for certain groups of people through both national and local concessionary travel schemes in order to promote a range of social, health and economic outcomes and to support modal shift from private car to public transport and active travel.

However some stakeholders have expressed views that entitlement to and the extent of existing schemes can be confusing and not consistent with scheme objectives. For example, the existing National Concessionary Travel Schemes (universal Scotland-wide free bus travel for under 22’s, Older & Disabled People) are predominantly limited to bus only and therefore it has been argued that communities with limited access to the bus network are disadvantaged in comparison to other communities which enjoy better connectivity to the bus network.

Moreover, whilst some local authorities fund concessionary travel on rail, tram, ferry and subway for their residents others do not, creating what some stakeholders have referred to as a “postcode lottery” of access to free or/discounted public transport for those most in need.

In addition, the Scottish Government, in September 2022, made a commitment that the question of potentially extending the national free bus scheme to include all residents of Scotland aged under 26 would be considered as part of the Fair Fares Review.

The Fair Fares Review therefore has included a review of existing national and local concessionary travel schemes within Scotland.

The Fair Fares Review has taken into account the implications of the Verity House Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). This agreement sets out how both parties will work together to:

  • tackle poverty, particularly child poverty, in recognition of the joint national mission to tackle child poverty;
  • transform our economy through a just transition to deliver net zero, recognising climate change as one of the biggest threats to communities across Scotland, and
  • deliver sustainable person-centred public services recognising the fiscal challenges, ageing demography and opportunities to innovate.