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 | 6,692,467 | 9,495,640 |
| May 2025 | 7,160,552 | 10,002,905 |
| June 2025 | 6,310,098 | 9,260,928 |
| July 2025 | 5,551,117 | 9,905,836 |
| August 2025 | 6,564,479 | 10,101,680 |
| September 2025 | 8,082,794 | 9,676,181 |
| Total to date | 40,361,507 | 58,443,170 |
The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 252,296,193 as at 30 September 2025.
Cardholders
| Local Authority | Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme | Older & Disabled Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 33,510 | 57,403 |
| Aberdeenshire | 40,030 | 76,208 |
| Angus Council | 15,624 | 38,218 |
| Argyll & Bute | 10,508 | 32,824 |
| City of Edinburgh | 92,011 | 145,705 |
| Clackmannanshire | 5,953 | 13,992 |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 3,237 | 9,114 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 16,972 | 57,956 |
| Dundee City | 24,822 | 42,314 |
| East Ayrshire | 18,584 | 36,455 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 15,473 | 35,563 |
| East Lothian | 17,793 | 34,903 |
| East Renfrewshire | 16,675 | 27,152 |
| Falkirk | 21,650 | 42,445 |
| Fife | 62,601 | 118,066 |
| Glasgow City | 98,421 | 154,072 |
| Highland | 26,902 | 73,448 |
| Inverclyde | 11,822 | 25,633 |
| Midlothian | 15,663 | 27,723 |
| Moray | 12,420 | 27,987 |
| North Ayrshire | 20,626 | 44,548 |
| North Lanarkshire | 53,282 | 86,105 |
| Orkney Islands | 2,704 | 7,703 |
| Perth & Kinross | 20,696 | 50,093 |
| Renfrewshire | 27,886 | 52,668 |
| Scottish Borders | 14,933 | 37,384 |
| Shetland Islands | 3,594 | 7,472 |
| South Ayrshire | 13,920 | 39,202 |
| South Lanarkshire | 52,860 | 93,099 |
| Stirling | 12,576 | 24,797 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 14,689 | 27,305 |
| West Lothian | 26,311 | 46,635 |
| Total as at 1 October 2025 | 824,748 | 1,594,192 |