Impacts of the scheme on others
All stakeholder organisations were asked what the impacts of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme had been on local areas more generally, as well as invited to provide feedback on the impacts on their own organisation/services.
Impacts on Local Areas
Wider Economic and Community Impacts
Several stakeholders suggested that there had been a positive impact on employment in local areas as young people could now access job opportunities more easily. Others suggested that young people were now accessing local areas and spending money in local shops and services, thus boosting the local economy:
“Free bus travel allows young people from more rural areas to access activities or meet friends in central areas… which will have a positive impact on local businesses, e.g. shops, arts centre, cinema.” (Local Authority)
“When events etc. are on it is bringing more footfall to them [the events]! Overall I think it is a positive scheme for the local area and community as it is allowing people to get out more which means people are spending money in the community!” (Bus Operator)
In addition to the possible economic impact, it was also suggested by a few respondents that the scheme had helped (or was perceived to help) young people to feel part of, and engage with or be more involved in their local community, or that it had provided a sense of inclusion:
“Has enabled mobility and access to opportunities. Must be enabling engagement in local/community and wider activities so helps young people and families think wider.” (Education, Training and Skills Organisation)
Reduced Car Use/Environmental Benefits
Another positive impact of the scheme for local areas was the reduction in car use, due to a reduction in parents driving their children to locations/venues. This was considered to bring environmental benefits, both in relation to climate change and increasing the use of greener, sustainable modes of transport - although it was felt that congestion levels had not reduced to date:
“More U22 that we see, will no doubt reduce the amount of cars on the road, simply because there is less need for parents to drop kids off to school or to the cinema, etc. if bus is free and easy for them to use.” (Bus Operator)
While most of the comments in this respect appeared to be speculative, representing perceptions or expectations only, one local authority suggested they had received anecdotal evidence that such modal shift was taking place:
“More parents reporting that they are not having to use their cars as much.” (Local Authority)
The organisation that had conducted a feedback survey among young people also noted that young people themselves had highlighted environmental benefits as one of the positives of the scheme. Young people were pleased that it allowed them to use a greener and more environmentally friendly form of transport.
Impact on Bus Operators/Services
In terms of the impacts of the scheme on stakeholders own organisations/services, bus operators typically noted an increase in the number of young people using services:
“We have had an increase of passenger numbers since this scheme was introduced on all our service runs.” (Bus Operator)
“Carry a lot more young persons.” (Bus Operator)
Two operators suggested that the scheme had resulted in increased boarding times/bus dwell times at stops, with one suggesting this was due to card scanning and then manual input of destination data. This, in turn, meant that overall journey times had been impacted, particularly during peak periods on certain corridors. This was not necessarily considered as problematic, however, with one respondent suggesting this could be managed through their internal review processes:
“The slower boarding process for national concessions (versus our products which might have been used before) has led to some significant increases in dwell times and associated capacity challenges for some morning peak services, however, these are fairly localised to certain routes and/or corridors and are mitigated by our standard network review and optimisation processes.” (Bus Operator)
One RTP also highlighted that some operators/services were moving to paperless concessionary ticketing systems which could help to provide time savings in relation to boarding and bus dwell times at stops, benefiting all passengers if successful.
As also highlighted in the quote above, capacity issues on peak time services were reported by one bus operator. Another indicated there had been an increase in anti-social behaviour on board buses (although it was felt this could not be entirely attributable to the implementation of the scheme), while one other noted that the scheme had impacted on the ticket types they were able to provide:
“Changes to our product strategy - most of those now eligible for free travel in our operating area would previously purchase a season ticket product from us, and so this scheme has had a direct impact on how we might wish to structure and offer certain products in the future, since many of these are volume dependent.” (Bus Operator)
Other bus operators felt there had been no impact or implications for their organisation/services, while two felt there had been financial benefits, with one indicating it had provided a “good source of income.” (Bus Operator).
Covid-Recovery
While not discussed by bus operators directly, RTPs and other bodies representing bus operators suggested that the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme had also supported post-Covid bus patronage recovery and the sustainability of bus services. It was noted that there had been a drop in patronage among concessionary bus pass holders (i.e. over 60s and disabled passengers), as well as adult passengers, since the Covid-19 pandemic, but that the significant increase in usage by young people had helped to compensate for this:
“More generally the introduction of the scheme has helped with recovery of passenger numbers on local bus services post-Covid, therefore contributing to sustainability of the local bus network, particularly in urban areas.” (RTP)
“The policy has been successful in terms of take up and has filled a large drop in concessionary journeys by the elderly and disabled post-Covid. As such, it has been critical in terms of revenue for many bus routes.” (Representative Body)
Similar views were expressed in focus groups with young people and their families.
Impact on Other Modes
While bus operators reported an increase in patronage by children and young people, trains were noted to have seen a decline in patronage by this age group. This was caveated, however, by the observation that use of the Young Persons’ RailCard had remained strong despite the option of free bus travel.
Similarly, it was noted that lower proportions of young people were using the Glasgow Subway over more recent months - although it was not clear to what extent this was attributable to the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme as the reduction did not coincide with the introduction of the scheme. It was indicated that a higher proportion of journeys on the Subway were made by those aged under 22 during the first half of 2022/2023 (i.e. following the introduction of the scheme) compared to the same period in 2019/2020. However, a lower proportion of Subway journeys were attributed to the under 22s age group during the second half of 2022/2023 compared to the same period in 2019/2020 (data was based on estimates for the proportion of Subway customers who were aged under 22).
While two active travel organisations responded to the consultation survey, they did not highlight any impacts of the scheme directly on them or their services. As outlined in Chapter 2 Policy Awareness, one discussed the integral part walking plays in any bus trip, while the other was concerned that the option of free bus travel may negatively impact on cycling:
“We heard from families in our research that the free bus pass made young people more likely to take the bus for local journeys e.g. to school. The benefit of cycling being ‘free’ for local journeys (once they owned a bike and could afford to maintain it) was therefore seen by some families as a less significant advantage as the bus was also free.” (Active Travel Organisation)
Impact on Local Authorities
The main impact on local authorities and their services was, again, the additional resource requirements to support and manage applications and enquiries for the scheme. One noted the need to increase processing times for other concessionary card passes as a result, and another stated this had negative impacts on other work commitments more generally:
“We have had to increase our service standard processing times for NEC card application and other application services… i.e. Blue Badge.” (Local Authority)
Others, however, suggested that this had led to them streamlining services to make them more efficient for both the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme and other applications and enquiries:
“The creation of our online form allowed us to use this a template to be able to take online applications for over 60s, disabled [passengers], etc. This also helps streamline the process and is easier for customers unable to attend a Contact Centre.” (Local Authority)
One suggested there were localised capacity issues, while another had received more requests for bus stops/shelters and bus services.
A few local authorities also noted an increase in anti-social behaviour both on buses and at stops/bus stations, and a few noted impacts on school transport provision - both these issues are discussed in more detail at Chapter 6 Scheme Challenges and Suggested Changes.
Several local authorities felt that longer was needed to fully establish the impacts on their own organisations/departments.
Impact on Other Organisations
While RTPs indicated that they were generally not impacted directly by the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme, one suggested the scheme may affect the policy decisions of bus alliances. While others also responded to this question, they typically set out impacts or benefits of the scheme for others - these have been included under the relevant sections elsewhere in this report.
In terms of responses from those not involved directly in scheme delivery or transport service provision, a range of positive impacts were noted. One third sector organisation indicated the positive impact on those delivering community projects with young people - they suggested that funds were being reallocated to support activities as a result of no longer having to cover travel expenses, and that activities had become more accessible to service users as the travel cost barrier had been removed:
“…where they had previously budgeted for participant travel costs this is now covered, meaning that they can use funds on other valuable things; that it has increased accessibility of activities like trips and outings, meaning that these can be arranged knowing everyone can take part and that families living in poverty will not be stigmatised.” (Children and Families’ Rights/Support/Campaign Organisation)
Similarly, Skills, Training and Education Organisations noted that there had been a reduction in the extent to which they needed to support students with travel expenses. This had resulted in “large savings on our travel budget”, time savings with regard to processing such expenses, and the reallocation of funding away from transport to support other requirements and discretionary payments, including the provision of translation services and support for students during the current cost of living crisis:
“It has given us a surplus of student support funds that we can now use on discretionary payments during the current cost of living crisis.” (Skills, Training and Education Organisation)
For those organisations responsible for managing the scheme, the impacts were generally the increased number of cards issued, and increased volume of queries from applicants that required to be addressed. However, most considered the high uptake to be a positive impact overall, strengthening the position of the NEC scheme generally, and increasing the number of young people with the Young Scot Card (and the numbers who carry this with them more often) and who are therefore able to access the other associated discounts available.