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 | 6,692,076 | 9,494,707 |
May 2025 | 7,154,657 | 9,989,543 |
June 2025 | 6,301,729 | 9,246,418 |
July 2025 | 5,538,382 | 9,884,606 |
August 2025 | 6,554,867 | 10,092,350 |
Total to date | 25,686,844 | 38,615,274 |
The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 244,202,626 as at 31 August 2025.
Cardholders
Local Authority | Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme | Older & Disabled Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme |
---|---|---|
Aberdeen City | 33,465 | 57,327 |
Aberdeenshire | 39,899 | 76,132 |
Angus Council | 15,575 | 38,126 |
Argyll & Bute | 10,458 | 32,734 |
City of Edinburgh | 90,342 | 145,096 |
Clackmannanshire | 5,903 | 13,992 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 3,244 | 9,094 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 16,915 | 57,788 |
Dundee City | 24,649 | 42,238 |
East Ayrshire | 18,348 | 36,373 |
East Dunbartonshire | 15,385 | 35,459 |
East Lothian | 17,794 | 34,834 |
East Renfrewshire | 16,584 | 27,081 |
Falkirk | 21,558 | 42,305 |
Fife | 62,251 | 118,053 |
Glasgow City | 96,451 | 153,694 |
Highland | 26,479 | 73,225 |
Inverclyde | 11,798 | 25,596 |
Midlothian | 15,442 | 27,655 |
Moray | 12,371 | 27,908 |
North Ayrshire | 20,646 | 44,396 |
North Lanarkshire | 52,982 | 85,953 |
Orkney Islands | 2,697 | 7,673 |
Perth & Kinross | 20,623 | 50,028 |
Renfrewshire | 27,607 | 52,528 |
Scottish Borders | 14,739 | 37,313 |
Shetland Islands | 3,595 | 7,453 |
South Ayrshire | 13,816 | 39,185 |
South Lanarkshire | 52,464 | 92,801 |
Stirling | 12,505 | 24,728 |
West Dunbartonshire | 14,612 | 27,213 |
West Lothian | 26,073 | 46,502 |
Total as at 31 August 2025 | 817,270 | 1,590,483 |