Transport Scotland publication scheme
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EISR) provide individuals with a right to request any recorded information held by Scotland's public authorities. Anyone can use this right, and information can only be withheld where FOISA or EISR expressly permits it.
Section 23 of FOISA also requires that all Scottish public authorities maintain a publication scheme. A publication scheme sets out the types of information that a public authority routinely makes available.
We've adopted the Model Publication Scheme developed and approved by the Office of Scottish Information Commissioner. The Commissioner is responsible for enforcing FOISA.
The Commissioner's Model Publication Scheme is designed to ensure that authorities meet their obligation to take account of the public interest in providing access to the information that they hold which relates to:
- the services they provide
- the costs of those services
- the standard of those services
- the facts that inform the important decisions they take
- the reasoning that informs their decisions
We've adopted the Model Publication Scheme without amendment and have made the commitment to publish all information we hold which falls within the classes in the scheme. The information we publish is, where possible, available on this website.
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model scheme is, wherever possible, available on this site.
We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online or by inspection at our premises.
For example, we can usually arrange to post information in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).
Information that we may withhold
Our aim is to be as open as possible. However, there may be circumstances where information will be withheld from publication.
Information will only be withheld, where FOISA or EISR expressly permits it.
Information may be withheld, for example, where its disclosure would breach the law of confidentiality, harm commercial interests, or endanger the protection of the environment. Information may also be withheld if it is another person's personal information, and its release would breach data protection legislation.
Where we withhold information we will remove it or redact it before publication and explain why.
If you wish to complain about any information which has been withheld from you, please contact us.
Our charging policy
Unless otherwise stated, all information contained within our scheme is available from us free of charge where it can be downloaded from our website or where it can be sent to you by email.
We reserve the right to impose charges for providing information in paper copy or other appropriate media. Charges will reflect the actual costs to the Scottish Government for reproduction and postage.
We'll let you know the charge and how it has been calculated. Information will not be provided to you until payment has been received.
Where charges are applied, photocopied information will be charged at a rate of under 1p per A4 side of paper (black and white copy) and 2p per A4 side of paper (colour copy). We will pass on postage charges at the cost of sending the information by first class post.
The Equality Act 2010 requires us to take steps to meet the needs of people who share a relevant protected characteristic. In terms of access to information, this means making reasonable adjustments to our practices to ensure that information is physically accessible. This may, for example, involve producing information in a larger script or different format where it is practicable to do so. The costs of this will be met by us.
Our copyright policy
The information we produce is subject to Crown copyright, which is administered by the Queen's Printer for Scotland. The material listed in this publication scheme is Crown copyright unless stated otherwise.
You may use and re-use Crown copyright information free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms and conditions of the Open Government Licence, provided it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context.
Where any of the Crown copyright items published through this guide are being republished or copied to others, the source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged.
Our records management and disposal policy
We participate in the Scottish Government’s records management process. It has in place Record Retention and Disposition Schedules for all documents that it creates and holds. These Schedules explain how long all types of records must be held for. This means that while FOISA is retrospective, it's only possible to provide copies of records that still exist. The current policy and procedures for records management are in the Scottish Government’s Record Management Manual which aligns with Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011.
Some Scottish Government, including Transport Scotland, records are selected to be permanently preserved at the National Records of Scotland. The Schedules referred to above say what types of records will normally be preserved. Once transferred to the National Records of Scotland, these records are made publicly available and listed on their on-line catalogue.
How to access information which we do not publish
If you would like to request information which we do not publish then please contact us by:
Email - info@transport.gov.scot
Phone - 0141 272 7100
Or by post:
Freedom of Information
Transport Scotland
5th Floor
177 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7ER
When writing to us to request information, please include:
- your full name and an email or postal address
- full details of the information or documents you would like to receive.
The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland do not charge anyone for making requests for, nor for providing, information under FOISA, but we will refuse to deal with a request where we estimate that it will cost more than £600 to locate, retrieve and provide the information. Staff time is calculated at actual cost per staff member hourly salary rate to a maximum of £15 per person per hour. There is no upper cost limit for information available through EISR.
Charges may apply when providing information in a physical format such as printed, CD ROM etc. These costs are calculated on the basis of the actual cost to the authority to reproduce the information as detailed above.
The classes of information that we publish
Class 1: About Transport Scotland
This class includes information about Transport Scotland. Who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed, and our external relations.
Transport Scotland Framework Document
Transport Scotland Senior Management Team
Class 2: How we deliver functions and services
This class includes information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering functions and services, and information for our service users.
Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG)
Major events, projects and planned roadworks
Road Orders and Records of Determination
Rail franchises: ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper
Rail Service Quality Inspection Regime
Transport Scotland news releases
Land Use and Transport Integration in Scotland (LATIS)
Bus Service Operators’ Grant (BSOG)
Smart & integrated ticketing in Scotland
Class 3: How we take decisions
Information about the decisions we take, how we make decisions and how we involve others.
Transport Scotland Senior Management Team
Class 4: What we spend
Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend public money and what has actually been spent.
Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25
Scottish Public Finance Manual
Items of Expenditure over £25,000
Class 5: How we manage our human, physical and information resources
Information about how we manage the human, physical and information resources of the authority.
Scottish Government Workforce Information
Transport Scotland specific career opportunities
Class 6: How we procure goods and services from external providers
Information about how we procure goods and services, and our contracts with external providers
Class 7: How we are performing
Information about how we perform as an organisation, and how well it delivers its functions and services.
Class 8: Our commercial publications
Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet (e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal).
Note for information: The Agency currently has no commercial publications. Charges may arise for information as explained in the charging policy in the introduction to this guide.
Class 9: Our Open Data
Open data made available by the authority as described by the Scottish Government’s Open Data Strategy and Resource Pack, available under an open licence.
We comply with the guidance above when publishing data and other information to our website. Details of publications and statistics can be found in the body of this document or on the Publications section of our website.
Scottish Information Commissioner
You have legal rights to access information under this scheme and a right of appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner if you are dissatisfied with our response. These rights apply only to information requests made in writing (verbal requests for environmental information carry similar rights) or another recordable format. If you are unhappy with our responses to your request you can ask us to review it internally and if you are still unhappy, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner.
By post:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone - 01334 464610
Email - enquiries@foi.scot
Data Protection Act
You can request a copy of any personal data we hold about you by making a subject access request (SAR) under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), by:
Email - dpa@transport.gov.scot
Or by post:
Data Protection Team
Transport Scotland
5th Floor
177 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7ER
You should also provide proof of identity - acceptable forms of ID include:
- copy or scan of the photograph page of your passport or
- copy or scan of your photocard driving licence or
- copy or scan of at least two utility bills/bank statements from the last six months detailing your name and current address
We will acknowledge your request in writing and provide you with a reference number for your application. Once we are satisfied that you meet the criteria for disclosure of data under data protection law, and you have provided sufficient information, you should receive a response within one calendar month from the date that we accept your application for processing.
Last updated
This page was last updated in July 2026.