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 6,692,467 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

Number of valid National Entitlement Cardholders who can access the different NCTS and the totals
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