£2 Bus Fare Cap Pilot
How it works
The £2 Bus Fare Cap Pilot aims to help make your travel easier and cheaper with a simple £2 fare. There’s no need to apply and no requirement to live locally. Simply board a participating bus service, pay your fare, and enjoy your journey for no more than £2.
The 12 month pilot is being introduced on a phased basis across the ZetTrans and HiTrans Regional Transport Partnership (RTP) areas, operating in:
- Shetland from 30 January 2026
- the Western Isles from 23 February 2026
- Orkney from 9 March 2026
- Highland, Moray, and Argyll and Bute from 23 March 2026
If only part of your journey is within the pilot area, then you’ll pay £2 for the section inside the area, and the normal fare for the rest of your journey. Find out more about bus journeys where only part of your route is in the pilot area, or travel which includes multiple journeys, in the section on Highland, Moray and Argyll & Bute.
Concessionary passengers with a National Entitlement Card can continue to travel free of charge, as usual.
Why we’re running the pilot
Supported by £10 million of investment, the £2 Bus Fare Cap Pilot is a 12‑month programme introducing a clear, capped £2 fare across the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. The pilot brings together the Scottish Government, HiTrans, ZetTrans and local bus operators, delivering on a key commitment in the 2025/26 Scottish Budget.
The pilot aims to make bus travel:
- More affordable, particularly for lower‑income households
- Easier to use, with clear, simple pricing
- More appealing, encouraging more people to choose public transport
- More resilient, supporting local bus services across the region
Shetland
From 30 January 2026, single bus fares on participating routes in Shetland cost no more than £2. This applies to single adult or child fares.
The 12 month pilot is intended to end in January 2027. However, funding is limited so the pilot timescales are subject to change depending on the level of passenger demand. If this changes, we will update advice on this webpage.
Participating operators
Services provided by the following operators are included in the pilot:
- J & DS Halcrow
- J & K Scollay
- Johnson Transport
- K & K Transport
- Martins Car Hire
- R Robertson & Son
- Sinclairs Taxis
- Wastbus
- Whites Coaches
- Wilma Ann Nicolson
Premium fare services are excluded from the pilot, such as tour buses, night services or private-hire services.
If you are unsure if your journey is included, please contact your bus operator before travelling.
Western Isles
From 23 February 2026, single bus fares on participating routes in the Western Isles cost no more than £2. This applies to single adult or child fares.
The 12 month pilot is intended to end in February 2027. However, funding is limited so the pilot timescales are subject to change depending on the level of passenger demand. If this changes, we will update advice on this webpage.
Participating operators
Services provided by the following operators are included in the pilot:
- Aurora Trans Company
- Bus ns Comhairle
- Galson Stornoway Motors Limited
- Hebridean Transport
- Lochs Motor
- M Maciver
- South Harris Coaches
Premium fare services are excluded from the pilot, such as tour buses, night services or private-hire services.
If you are unsure if your journey is included, please contact your bus operator before travelling.
Orkney
From 9 March 2026, single bus fares on participating routes in Orkney cost no more than £2. This applies to single adult or child fares.
The 12 month pilot is intended to end in March 2027. However, funding is limited so the pilot timescales are subject to change depending on the level of passenger demand. If this changes, we will update advice on this webpage.
Participating operators
Services provided by the following operators are included in the pilot:
- M & J Harcus Westray
- Sanday Development Trust
- Stagecoach (all Orkney services including Sanday and Westray Public Bus-Ferry services)
Premium fare services are excluded from the pilot, such as tour buses, night services or private-hire services.
If you are unsure if your journey is included, please contact your bus operator before travelling.
Highland, Moray and Argyll and Bute
From 23 March 2026, single bus fares on participating bus routes in Highland, Moray and Argyll and Bute cost no more than £2. This applies to single adult or child fares.
Services in Helensburgh and Lomond are not included.
The pilot is expected to run for 12 months, until March 2027. However, funding is limited so the pilot timescales are subject to change depending on the level of passenger demand. If this changes, we will update advice on this webpage.
Which journeys are included
Your journey is eligible, and your single fare will be capped at £2, if;
- it is run by a participating bus operator (see the list below); and
- it starts and ends within Highland, Moray or Argyll and Bute (excluding Helensburgh and Lomond).
If only part of your journey is within these areas, then you’ll pay £2 for the part of the journey inside these areas, and the normal fare for the rest of your journey. This will be calculated automatically when you purchase your ticket.
Premium fare services are excluded from the pilot, such as tour buses, night services or private-hire services.
If you are unsure if your journey is included, please contact your bus operator before travelling.
Multiple routes
If your whole journey is within Highland, Moray or Argyll and Bute (excluding Helensburgh and Lomond) and you are;
- staying on the same bus - one ticket is required, and the £2 cap applies.
- changing buses (even if it is the same operator) - the cap still applies, but you must buy a ticket for each leg of your journey.
If part of your journey is outside these areas
The £2 cap applies only to the part of your journey within Highland, Moray or Argyll and Bute. The remainder of your journey is charged at the normal fare. This will be calculated automatically when you purchase your ticket.
Booking in advance
Tickets bought before 23 March are not eligible, even if the date of travel is while the pilot is live.
Tickets bought on or after 23 March, for travel during the pilot, are eligible.
Participating operators
The pilot has launched today (Monday 23 March) and a full list of participating operators will be confirmed on this webpage over the coming week.
If you are unsure if your journey is included, please contact your bus operator before travelling.
Help
Participating operators
If you are unsure if your route is included, please contact your bus operator directly to check before travelling.
General enquiries
For general information on the pilot contact us using the details below:
£2 Bus Fare Cap Pilot
Transport Scotland
177 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7ER
Stakeholders
Our Stakeholder Toolkit provides information and resources for key stakeholders (such as bus operators and local councils) and other organisations to assist in their marketing and communications about the pilot.