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 6,692,076 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

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 33,465 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