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.
- Journey data 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 | 6,591,127 | 9,327,060 |
May 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
June 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
July 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
August 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
September 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
October 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
November 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
December 2025 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
January 2026 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
February 2026 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
March 2026 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Total to date | 6,591,127 | 9,327,060 |
The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 218,494,929 as at 30 April 2025.
Cardholders
The table below shows the 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 | 32,815 | 56,565 |
Aberdeenshire | 39,235 | 74,965 |
Angus Council | 15,252 | 37,363 |
Argyll & Bute | 10,098 | 32,171 |
City of Edinburgh | 90,500 | 142,684 |
Clackmannanshire | 5,760 | 13,784 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 3,217 | 8,991 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 16,680 | 56,867 |
Dundee City | 24,309 | 41,700 |
East Ayrshire | 18,302 | 35,946 |
East Dunbartonshire | 14,994 | 34,842 |
East Lothian | 17,533 | 34,375 |
East Renfrewshire | 15,930 | 26,659 |
Falkirk | 21,138 | 41,510 |
Fife | 61,094 | 116,287 |
Glasgow City | 94,661 | 150,594 |
Highland | 25,912 | 72,012 |
Inverclyde | 11,664 | 25,066 |
Midlothian | 14,809 | 27,191 |
Moray | 11,930 | 27,530 |
North Ayrshire | 20,720 | 43,640 |
North Lanarkshire | 52,506 | 84,442 |
Orkney Islands | 2,536 | 7,544 |
Perth & Kinross | 20,031 | 49,100 |
Renfrewshire | 26,288 | 51,449 |
Scottish Borders | 13,556 | 36,762 |
Shetland Islands | 3,485 | 7,343 |
South Ayrshire | 13,401 | 38,694 |
South Lanarkshire | 50,185 | 91,091 |
Stirling | 12,331 | 24,235 |
West Dunbartonshire | 14,431 | 26,681 |
West Lothian | 25,431 | 45,605 |
Total as at 30 Apr 2025 | 800,734 | 1,563,688 |