Health and wellbeing

• Strong evidence that the Scheme improves freedom, independence and choice
• Strong evidence that the Scheme improves physical and mental health and wellbeing
• Strong evidence that the Scheme can help to reduce social isolation
• Most cardholders felt safe travelling by bus, but there were some concerns about anti-social behaviour, with disabled cardholders less likely to feel safe and be more concerned about anti-social behaviour

Personal welfare

Table 21 details the extent to which survey respondents agreed or disagreed that the free bus pass had impacted on aspects of their personal welfare.

Table 21 Personal welfare (survey respondents)

Across all the statements at least half of the respondents agreed that the free bus pass had had a positive impact. This ranged from 51% who agreed that they felt less isolated or lonely because of the free bus pass, to 69% who agreed that the free bus pass gave them independence/freedom.

The results were also disaggregated by card type (see Annex - Tables 32-38). An overview of those who agreed or strongly agreed is outlined in Table 22 below. Across all statements, those with disabled cards were more likely to agree compared to those with an over 60 card.

Table 22 Personal welfare by card type - those who agreed or strongly agreed (survey respondents)

Freedom, independence and choice

The positive feedback above was backed up by many of the qualitative comments provided by survey and focus group respondents. Many said the Scheme had given them a sense of freedom and that they were able to make journeys by bus that would be financially prohibitive to make in any other way or to do often. It enabled them to be social and active, and to stay in touch with family and friends (including those who lived some distance away/in other parts of Scotland):

Similarly, several focus group participants mentioned that the Scheme gave them more choice, both in terms of how to travel and how to use their money.

The Scheme was also considered to have provided independence for cardholders, as they did not have to rely on others. In addition, a few survey and focus groups respondents suggested that the Scheme helped to build young disabled cardholders’ confidence, social skills, and the skills needed for independent travel as they grew up and became less reliant on their parents for travel. Again, however, the benefits of freedom and independence were often limited by the lack of bus services (especially for those in rural and suburban areas).

Physical and mental health

Some survey respondents said that, without the Scheme, it would be difficult or impossible to attend medical or other appointments, to get to education or work, or that they would be much less likely to do volunteer work, as the travel costs would be prohibitive. Respondents also noted that the Scheme kept them more active, thereby supporting their physical health. They also noted that the ability to get out, to meet people, to take part in activities, etc. helped their mental health and wellbeing:

Some survey respondents and focus group participants also reported using the Scheme to visit local parks or outside spaces to take walks, or to go further afield into the countryside, to support hiking and other active leisure pursuits, and to allow them to attend the gym and to play sports. It was felt that each of these had a positive impact on mental and physical health. Specifically, one focus group participant who had been recently bereaved said that they had used the free bus pass to take them to outdoor/park spaces following the loss of their partner and that this had helped with the grieving process. Another widower explained how they had become demotivated to leave home following the loss of their partner, but that they had been encouraged by a local charity to use the free bus pass to access their day-care facilities, which had been “a lifesaver”.

Other mental health impacts included feelings of reduced anxiety, stress or worry linked to travel. In some cases, this was linked to removing the financial cost of travel, while for many this was related to knowing that the bus driver would carry the stress of navigating roads, etc.

Comments were also made across focus groups that the Scheme sometimes encouraged people to be more active or sociable, for example, by removing excuses or reasons for not going out that might be linked to concerns about cost, parking, the hassle of driving, etc.:

Companion cardholders also stressed that this gave them the confidence to travel, made them feel safer, and meant they could travel as often as required without having to worry about the cost of the companion’s ticket or feeling like a burden by asking the companion to pay their own fare. This in turn, reduced stress and anxiety related to travelling, and resulted in both physical and mental health benefits:

A small number of focus group participants also expressed concerns that their wellbeing and mental health might deteriorate if the free bus pass was taken away.

A few survey respondents also appreciated the term ‘entitlement’ within the terminology for the Scheme. It was considered to provide recognition of disabled people’s needs, and for older cardholders, it provided recognition that they had contributed in taxes until (and sometimes beyond) retirement.

Reducing social isolation

There was also a sense among survey respondents and across focus groups that many cardholders would not get out as often if they did not have their NEC, as the costs of fares were restrictive. As such, they would be much more isolated:

It was felt that the Scheme provided a connection to other people, including the bus driver or through meeting and talking to other people on the bus. Often cardholders would meet others that they knew on the bus, but some were also happy to strike up conversations with fellow passengers that they did not know. This was true for both local and long-distance journeys, and was highly valuable to those who were at risk of social isolation otherwise.

The Scheme also helped cardholders to feel like they were part of the community:

Some survey respondents and support organisations who participated in an interview, also indicated that the Scheme allowed some disabled people to access their peers and be part of a larger community, where they can be supported, take part in social events and activities, etc.

Similarly, participants across multiple focus groups indicated that the Scheme helped them to socialise, to travel with family and friends at lower cost, and to be more adventurous than they might otherwise have been, all of which helped with feelings of self-esteem and social inclusion. Moreover, focus group participants with poor health who had become reliant on buses also commented that use over time had helped them to reintegrate socially and become more active again in their social lives, i.e. impacting positively on confidence and self-esteem.

A few focus group participants (across different sessions) commented that the range of concessionary travel schemes, including for older, disabled and younger people, meant that it created opportunities for interactions. While this results in tensions on occasion (as noted elsewhere), several perceived this interaction and visibility of different demographics to be of added social value, which they said was often missing in many areas of social life. In particular, exposing young people to older and disabled people was also seen as valuable for normalising aging and disability, and in supporting inclusion:

Overall, the Scheme appears to have had positive impacts on people’s mental health; encouraged people to get out and be more active; improved their confidence, freedom and independence; improved their ability to socialise and do leisure activities; and reduced social isolation.

Personal safety

Most (78%) survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they felt safe travelling by bus (see Annex - Table 39). Meanwhile, just 5% of frequent users (i.e. those who used the bus about once a fortnight or more) and 4% of less frequent users (i.e. those who used it less than once a fortnight) noted that they did not use the bus more often because they did not feel safe (see Annex - Table 11). This is similar to the Your Bus Journey survey results for Scotland which show that for the most recent year (2025), 88% of all bus passengers rated their personal security while travelling by bus as good.

Despite this high level of overall safety, some respondents did report perceptions of or concerns about anti-social behaviour. In general, 45% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that there was anti-social behaviour on buses (see Annex - Table 39). Almost a fifth (17%) of more frequent bus users and 13% of less frequent bus users noted that they did not use the bus more often because they were concerned about anti-social behaviour (see Annex - Table 11).

There were, however, differences by card type, with disabled cardholders less likely to feel safe travelling by bus (65%) and more likely to think there was anti-social behaviour on buses (56%), compared to those with an over 60 card (85% and 39% respectively) (see Annex - Tables 40-41). Similarly, disabled cardholders were more likely to feel unsafe (10%) and be concerned about anti-social behaviour (25%) when asked about the reasons they did not travel by bus more often, compared to those with an over 60 card (2% and 12% respectively) (see Annex - Table 12).

Among the qualitative feedback (across both the survey and focus groups), cardholders discussed feeling unsafe due to anti-social behaviour and the number of Young Persons’ Scheme cardholders now using buses. Issues around feeling unsafe at bus stops or interchanges that were poorly maintained or poorly lit were also reported in some cases.