Concessionary travel data
We monitor data relating to our National Concessionary Travel Schemes (NCTS), which provide free bus travel for those aged under 22, 60+ and eligible disabled people, on a regular basis. You can find the latest data on concessionary bus journeys and cardholders below.
Important information about this data
- All information is correct, based on available data, at the time of publication.
- Transport Scotland does not own the National Entitlement Card. Cardholder data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO).
- Cardholder data refers to the number of people with a valid NEC but does not include products which either start in the future or have expired.
- NECPO work with stakeholders and partners to carry out regular data cleansing of the customer database which may impact cardholder numbers when records are updated.
- ‘Journeys’ refers to a smart journey recorded against a valid product that has been received and processed for payment by Transport Scotland.
All data is subject to change due to late data being received.
Journeys
|
Month |
Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
Older & Disabled Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
|
April 2025 |
6,692,811 |
9,496,237 |
|
May 2025 |
7,161,495 |
10,004,628 |
|
June 2025 |
6,310,984 |
9,262,280 |
|
July 2025 |
5,551,590 |
9,906,525 |
|
August 2025 |
6,566,746 |
10,105,718 |
|
September 2025 |
8,109,040 |
9,708,214 |
|
October 2025 |
7,959,251 |
9,849,751 |
|
November 2025 |
7,745,872 |
9,240,025 |
|
December 2025 |
6,376,074 |
9,089,231 |
|
January 2026 |
6,819,877 |
8,224,399 |
|
February 2026 |
7,244,252 |
8,531,815 |
|
March 2026 |
8,303,050 |
9,747,453 |
|
Total to date |
84,841,042 |
113,166,276 |
The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 296,776,082 as at 31 March 2026.
Cardholders
|
Local Authority |
Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
Older & Disabled Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
|
Aberdeen City |
33,943 |
57,893 |
|
Aberdeenshire |
40,571 |
77,431 |
|
Angus Council |
15,629 |
38,481 |
|
Argyll & Bute |
10,583 |
33,167 |
|
City of Edinburgh |
94,713 |
145,932 |
|
Clackmannanshire |
6,012 |
14,134 |
|
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
3,245 |
9,117 |
|
Dumfries and Galloway |
16,812 |
52,780 |
|
Dundee City |
24,913 |
42,550 |
|
East Ayrshire |
18,604 |
36,668 |
|
East Dunbartonshire |
15,639 |
35,377 |
|
East Lothian |
17,694 |
35,501 |
|
East Renfrewshire |
16,760 |
27,364 |
|
Falkirk |
22,364 |
42,542 |
|
Fife |
63,409 |
119,402 |
|
Glasgow City |
102,089 |
154,277 |
|
Highland |
28,385 |
74,405 |
|
Inverclyde |
11,560 |
25,646 |
|
Midlothian |
16,224 |
27,881 |
|
Moray |
12,598 |
28,328 |
|
North Ayrshire |
20,879 |
44,961 |
|
North Lanarkshire |
54,522 |
86,650 |
|
Orkney Islands |
2,775 |
7,762 |
|
Perth & Kinross |
21,216 |
50,899 |
|
Renfrewshire |
27,982 |
52,373 |
|
Scottish Borders |
14,960 |
37,829 |
|
Shetland Islands |
3,670 |
7,503 |
|
South Ayrshire |
13,904 |
39,448 |
|
South Lanarkshire |
53,159 |
92,838 |
|
Stirling |
12,954 |
25,003 |
|
West Dunbartonshire |
14,693 |
27,294 |
|
West Lothian |
26,531 |
46,506 |
|
Total as at 01 April 2026 |
838,992 |
1,597,942 |