Executive Summary

About the pilot

The Programme for Government 2025-26 included a commitment to deliver a £2 million national pilot for free bus travel for people seeking asylum in Scotland.

The pilot ran from 1 December 2025 to 31 March 2026 on a non-statutory basis. It provided nationwide free bus travel to people seeking asylum living in Scotland, including those accommodated under UK Government asylum dispersal policy. It was delivered using the National Entitlement Card (NEC) which is a smartcard issued by local authorities. Its primary function is as a bus pass for eligible groups. 

Communication about the pilot was targeted towards those eligible, predominantly via third sector and community organisations, Mears (who are the Home Office accommodation provider in Scotland) and local authorities. Cards were issued by local authorities following an application process and applicants were required to provide a completed application form along with proof of their asylum status and identity which were subject to a verification process. 

There were 3,972 cardholders by the end of the pilot, out of around 6,000 of people seeking asylum resident in Scotland. This is broadly in line with expected take up; an estimated one third of people seeking asylum located in Scotland are already eligible for the National Concessionary Travel Schemes (NCTS) for free bus travel by virtue of age or an eligible disability. Over 341,000 bus journeys were made by those who were issued cards.

Policy and pilot objectives

While asylum policy, including provision of asylum accommodation, is reserved to the UK Parliament and is the responsibility of the Home Office, the Scottish Government has responsibility for devolved services that many people seeking asylum living in Scotland need to access. These services include health, education, community integration, care and support of children, social care and legal support (including legal aid).

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 by improving access to devolved services, advancing the aims of the New Scots refugee integration strategy.

The pilot aimed to assess the extent to which providing free bus travel across Scotland to people seeking asylum supported this, as well as to provide detailed evidence and learning on the deliverability of possible future longer-term provision of free bus travel to people seeking asylum in Scotland.

About the evaluation

This evaluation was designed to assess the extent to which the pilot delivered these objectives. It comprised a survey and series of focus groups with cardholders; a survey and focus groups for organisations involved in the delivery of the pilot, including bus operators and third sector organisations; and analysis of secondary data showing pilot usage. The survey for individuals ran from 10 to 31 March 2026 and for organisations involved in delivering the pilot from 10 March to 14 April 2026.

Overall, 612 cardholders responded to the survey (a sample size of 15.4% of all cardholders), which was hosted online in English as well as the ten languages most frequently used by people seeking asylum in Scotland. Five focus groups were held in-person with cardholders to gather further information. These were hosted at support organisations people were familiar with. Fifty-five responses were received to the survey for organisations involved in pilot delivery and three focus groups were held online for these stakeholders.

The percentages presented in this report are based on the number of respondents that answered the relevant survey questions. The survey findings provide insight into the views and experiences of respondents but cannot be generalised to the full population of cardholders.

Key findings

The pilot provided strong evidence that long term provision of free bus travel to people seeking asylum in Scotland could contribute to meeting the intended policy objective of supporting integration and community cohesion by enabling greater participation in communities and facilitating access to devolved services.

The evaluation results indicate that the pilot positively contributed to integration and community cohesion. Ninety nine percent of respondents agreed that free bus travel helped them feel part of the community; this sentiment was echoed in focus group and stakeholder organisation feedback. Community participation increased significantly during the pilot. Seventy five percent of respondents were more likely to volunteer and 81% more likely to attend community activities or meet local people since getting their NEC. Respondents to the survey and focus group attendees reported significant improvements in their mental health and wellbeing during the pilot. Ninety four percent of respondents agreed (16%) or strongly agreed (78%) with the statement “having free bus travel helps me feel less alone and isolated”. Ninety seven percent of respondents either agreed (13%) or strongly agreed (84%) with the statement “Having free bus travel has helped my mental health and wellbeing”.

The pilot demonstrated that the delivery of longer-term free bus travel to this group is likely to be operationally feasible. Positive feedback was received on the use of the NEC system and the support provided by local authorities and third sector organisations. Further consideration would need to be given to the resourcing of partner organisations and status verification of applicants in the design of any future provision.

Over the four-month pilot, a significant proportion (an estimated two thirds) of people eligible applied for access to free bus travel. In total there were 3,972 cardholders and 341,677 journeys taken, demonstrating demand for free bus travel among people seeking asylum. Overall satisfaction with the pilot was very high. In response to separate questions, 98% of survey respondents reported that they were satisfied with their experience and 94% stated they were very satisfied. The pilot may also have increased awareness of the statutory schemes but it is not known how many people applied as a result.

The findings also show that the pilot substantially improved access to essential devolved services. 93% of respondents agreed (15%) or strongly agreed (78%) that they were less likely to miss medical appointments and 94% agreed (14%) or strongly agreed (80%) that they were less likely to miss legal appointments due to having access to free bus travel. Access to education and training opportunities were also reported to have improved with 83% of survey respondents reporting they were more likely to attend English language classes or other education and training during the pilot period than prior to it starting.

Feedback highlighted the negative impact on participants mental health of the pilot ending. Some respondents expressed feelings of sadness and anxiety linked to the end of the scheme, with others noting that they felt their mental health would worsen at the end of the pilot as they would spend more time in their accommodation as a result of not being able to afford transport. The importance of clear and sensitive communication about any future arrangements was emphasised. There was strong consensus among respondents to both surveys and at focus groups for participants and stakeholder organisations of their view that longer term provision should be introduced.