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

Number of smart journeys made by bus through the different NCTS and the totals

Month Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme Older & Disabled Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme
April 2025 6,692,811 9,496,236
May 2025 7,160,692 10,002,991
June 2025 6,310,362 9,261,183
July 2025 5,551,292 9,906,171
August 2025 6,566,618 10,105,534
September 2025 8,109,025 9,708,201
October 2025 7,957,472 9,846,752
November 2025 7,743,531 9,236,466
December 2025 6,375,842 9,088,643
January 2026 6,817,847 8,221,307
February 2026 7,242,188 8,529,761
Total to date 76,527,680 103,403,245

The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 288,462,709 as at 28 February 2026.

Cardholders

Number of valid National Entitlement Cardholders who can access the different NCTS and the total
Local Authority Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme Older & Disabled Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme
Aberdeen City 33,944 58,036
Aberdeenshire 40,417 77,189
Angus Council 15,626 38,530
Argyll & Bute 10,559 33,233
City of Edinburgh 94,858 148,079
Clackmannanshire 5,995 14,170
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 3,212 9,213
Dumfries and Galloway 16,839 58,893
Dundee City 24,953 42,656
East Ayrshire 18,565 36,935
East Dunbartonshire 15,615 36,201
East Lothian 17,733 35,420
East Renfrewshire 16,788 27,538
Falkirk 22,419 43,194
Fife 63,761 119,411
Glasgow City 101,982 157,570
Highland 28,403 74,620
Inverclyde 11,624 26,231
Midlothian 16,098 28,233
Moray 12,517 28,432
North Ayrshire 20,894 45,122
North Lanarkshire 53,074 87,314
Orkney Islands 2,727 7,778
Perth & Kinross 21,107 50,938
Renfrewshire 28,032 53,706
Scottish Borders 14,982 37,796
Shetland Islands 3,620 7,518
South Ayrshire 13,920 39,693
South Lanarkshire 53,282 94,948
Stirling 12,930 25,286
West Dunbartonshire 14,707 27,910
West Lothian 26,488 47,559
Total as at 1 March 2026 837,671 1,619,352