Discussion and conclusion

As outlined above, the pilot aimed to assess whether providing free bus travel to people seeking asylum in Scotland would support the intended policy objectives, while also assessing the feasibility of longer-term provision and identifying key learning. The evaluation findings for the key pilot objectives are considered below to assess the extent to which they have been achieved.

Deliverability of possible future longer-term provision

The findings of the evaluation demonstrate that the pilot was successful in delivering nationwide free bus travel to people seeking asylum in Scotland. 3,972 NECs were active by the end of the pilot. This is a significant proportion of the 6,587 people seeking asylum in receipt of Home Office support who were living in Scotland in the quarter to March 2026 (see Immigration groups by region and devolved administration), particularly given around a third of this group has been estimated to be eligible for the NCTS and may therefore have been less likely to apply for the pilot entitlement.

Travel patterns show the free travel entitlement was used across Scotland. Participants who responded to the evaluation survey and participants at the focus groups had generally a positive experience of bus travel during the pilot as well as of the application process. Overall satisfaction with the pilot was very high with 94% of survey respondents saying they were very satisfied with their experience. This was also reflected in feedback from participants and stakeholders that they wanted the pilot to continue, resume or be made permanent.

Feedback from both pilot participants and stakeholders highlighted the negative impact that the end of the pilot, and the uncertainty surrounding any future provision of free bus travel, had on those who had benefited from the pilot, including in relation to their mental health and wellbeing. Any communication regarding future arrangements should therefore be handled sensitively, providing clear and timely information while avoiding the creation of expectations which may not materialise.

The majority of respondents to the survey had found out about and had support in applying from refugee support organisation or community groups. This is consistent with wider feedback received particularly from the stakeholder survey and focus groups around the reliance of delivery of the pilot on support for the third sector and local authorities. There was a clear consensus among stakeholders who responded to the survey and participated in the focus group that the pilot had a positive impact on the lives of people seeking asylum. Views were more mixed, however, regarding the extent to which the pilot had affected their own organisations. Feedback indicates that delivery of any longer term provision would not be sustainable unless the organisations supporting it are resourced to do so.

Consideration would also need to be given to how to make the application robust, for example what checks could be carried out to ensure that all those presenting an ARC as evidence of their asylum status have not received a positive decision recognising their refugee status or otherwise how asylum status could be verified. Other areas for improvement that a longer term scheme could look to address were delays in the issuing of cards and improved guidance on lost cards.

Delivery against policy objective

The policy objective of providing free bus travel to people seeking asylum in Scotland is to support integration and community cohesion by enabling greater participation in communities and improving access to devolved services. The pilot was designed to assess the extent to which free bus travel across Scotland could support these outcomes, while also providing detailed evidence and learning on the feasibility and deliverability of any future long-term provision of free bus travel for people seeking asylum in Scotland.

Findings from the evaluation indicate that improved access to participation in community life, enabling people seeking asylum to access education, volunteering opportunities, places of worship, social activities and local events more easily. Survey findings showed that 83% of respondents were more likely to attend English language classes or other education and training, 75% were more likely to volunteer, and 81% were more likely to meet local people or attend community events during the pilot. These findings indicate that the pilot supported increased interaction with local communities and created opportunities to develop social connections.

Although a small minority experienced delays in receiving their NEC, the pilot has also supported the aims of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy by helping people seeking asylum participate in community life from the point of arrival in Scotland. Respondents consistently reported that access to free bus travel enabled them to attend activities that would otherwise have been unaffordable or inaccessible, particularly in rural areas. Improved access to English language classes was a recurring theme among both participants and stakeholder organisations. Respondents to the survey explained that free bus travel allowed them to attend courses best suited to their learning needs, continue their studies following relocation, and improve their English through increased engagement in volunteering and social activities.

Perhaps the strongest evidence of the pilot's impact on community cohesion comes from participants' reported feelings of inclusion and connection. Almost all respondents (99%) agreed that free bus travel helped them feel part of the community, while 94% said it helped them feel less lonely or isolated. Qualitative feedback suggested that increased mobility gave participants greater independence, confidence and opportunities to build relationships with people from different backgrounds. Stakeholder organisations similarly reported that the pilot had a positive impact on integration, with 91% agreeing that it had supported the integration of people seeking asylum within local communities. Taken together, the findings suggest that free bus travel was an effective tool for reducing social isolation, increasing participation in community life and supporting community cohesion across Scotland.

Findings also indicate that free bus travel has been very successful in supporting people seeking asylum to access devolved services, including health, legal and other support services.

When asked about the main purposes for using their NEC, 95% of respondents stated it was to access health services or appointments, sometimes at a distance from their place of residence. Prior to the pilot, many had been unable to afford bus travel to health appointments which often included multiple journeys to a GP practice or hospital.

81% of respondents confirmed that they used their NEC to access legal representation or mandatory appointments with Home Office officials. One consequence of Glasgow previously being Scotland’s only dispersal area for two decades has been the growth of support networks and legal professionals specialising in immigration law in the city. However, the subsequent dispersal of people seeking asylum across Scotland under the UK Government’s full dispersal policy has led to some instances of increased difficulties in accessing their legal representatives because of a lack of specialist legal representatives outside the central belt and in cases where people have been relocated to accommodation at a distance from their legal representative's office. This issue arose in two of the focus groups and in a number of survey responses where individuals had been moved to more remote locations, having initially been accommodated in Glasgow. Given that the NEC provides free travel Scotland-wide, this allows individuals to travel further distances as necessary to attend face to face meetings with their legal representatives and ensures continuity in their application for asylum. Findings also indicated that the pilot resulted in savings for support organisations during the pilot. 20 of the 27 organisations who expressed an opinion in the survey agreed that there had been a reduction in travel costs for organisations as a result of the pilot.

Conclusion

Overall, the evaluation indicates that the pilot was successful in supporting integration and community cohesion in line with the New Scots refugee integration strategy as well as improving access to devolved services for people seeking asylum who participated in the pilot. It has also demonstrated that the deliverability of free bus travel to people seeking asylum is feasible, although there are challenges which would need to be carefully managed for any future provision. This includes challenges of ensuring supporting organisations are adequately compensated for their time and efforts; as well as balancing the need for a streamlined application process for people who may have limited formal documents with the need to manage fraud, error and risks to public funds.