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

The 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 2026

6,803,793

9,675,674

May 2026

7,315,097

9,899,339

June 2026

6,782,172

9,775,676

July 2026

5,826,577

10,228,949

August 2026

6,759,181

10,402,386

Total to date

33,486,820

49,982,024

The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 330,273,046 as at 31 August 2026.

Cardholders

The 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 33,960 58,829
Aberdeenshire 40,978 78,765
Angus Council 15,714 39,211
Argyll & Bute 10,953 33,828
City of Edinburgh 93,591 148,913
Clackmannanshire 6,139 14,350
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 3,271 9,291
Dumfries and Galloway 17,725 53,862
Dundee City 24,680 42,978
East Ayrshire 18,501 37,228
East Dunbartonshire 16,169 36,005
East Lothian 18,207 36,105
East Renfrewshire 16,982 27,773
Falkirk 22,622 43,466
Fife 62,893 121,056
Glasgow City 100,627 157,822
Highland 28,502 75,587
Inverclyde 11,383 26,121
Midlothian 16,618 28,425
Moray 12,768 28,868
North Ayrshire 20,883 45,590
North Lanarkshire 54,433 88,160
Orkney Islands 2,830 7,861
Perth & Kinross 21,410 51,890
Renfrewshire 28,506 53,449
Scottish Borders 15,602 38,314
Shetland Islands 3,702 7,541
South Ayrshire 14,053 40,011
South Lanarkshire 54,393 94,847
Stirling 13,052 25,605
West Dunbartonshire 14,776 27,863
West Lothian 26,865 47,667
Total as at 1 September 2026 842,788 1,627,281