Scheme challenges and suggested changes
Across the consultation feedback a range of other challenges and possible unintended consequences of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme, as well as possible aspects for change/improvement were identified and discussed. These are outlined below.
Differences in Access
As outlined in Chapter 2 Policy Awareness, several stakeholders discussed issues related to differences in access to bus services and the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme. Others also highlighted issues related to the availability and accessibility of activities and opportunities. While the issues were generally raised by those representing rural and island areas, the issues were also more widely applicable.
Some respondents highlighted that young people across the country had different access to the scheme due to differences in the availability of bus services. It was considered particularly difficult for some young people to access bus services (and therefore the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme) in some areas:
“Some children and young people are unable to make use of free travel because of their circumstances, e.g. if they do not live close to a bus route. The availability of the U22 scheme has highlighted the differences in levels of bus services in different areas.” (Local Authority)
Further compounding this issue, it was noted that reductions in bus services made use of the scheme challenging in some areas, limited its use, and made accessing activities and opportunities difficult, particularly in the evenings.
In addition, a general lack of opportunities in some areas, combined with limited or reduced bus services, was considered to limit both use of the scheme and young people’s ability to access opportunities:
“The limited commercial bus service in most rural areas also affects communities... Rural areas and region wide [we are] seeing a decline in opportunities for young people. This means that bus services are infrequent especially during the evenings and weekends, making what opportunities are available hard to access by bus.” (RTP)
School Transport
Several respondents (largely, but not exclusively, local authorities) discussed the impacts that the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme had had on the provision of school transport, with mixed responses provided. It should be noted that different models and types of school transport were outlined by respondents, largely consisting of:
- the provision of dedicated school transport/buses - buses (and/or taxis) provided/contracted by local authorities to provide travel to and from school for those pupils eligible for school transport (based on how far they lived from their school or due to any medical conditions and/or disability). These services are not shared by the general public, fare paying passengers, or any young person travelling on the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme; and/or
- registered and/or subsidised local bus services which are used by the general public and fare paying passengers as well as school pupils accessing the service for free via a school bus pass due to their eligibility for free school transport.
As far as possible, respondent comments have been assigned to the relevant model in the discussion below. However, it should be noted that respondents were not asked to identify the model used and it was not always obvious within the comments, there is also a possibility that different models are used within local authority areas to meet the needs of different schools and different pupils.
Impacts on Dedicated School Transport
Where dedicated school transport was provided, it appears that the introduction of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme provided local authorities the ability to adapt how school transport was offered, to integrate the scheme and provide a greater range of travel options and updated/amended bus routes:
“The scheme introduction has impacted the delivery of free bus travel for… entitled school pupils who stayed more than 2/3 miles from their catchment school. Being [a small local authority] this only impacted on a small number of school pupils.” (Local Authority)
“Directly, the introduction of the scheme has enabled the department to withdraw previously provided bus passes for school transport access. Whilst not a hugely significant number, there has been a moderate financial saving made in this regard. Given the increase in free bus travel access, the department has been exploring the opportunities to use existing bus services as an alternative to dedicated school contracts. This has initially been small scale, however, will continue to inform our approach to the delivery of school transport in the coming years.” (Local Authority)
Another respondent also suggested that young people were choosing which bus service to use (exercising a choice between dedicated school transport and registered bus services) rather than using the one they had been assigned to:
“We have become aware, through feedback, that some schoolchildren now choose to travel on local bus services rather than taking dedicated school transport. There is also some evidence to suggest that, schoolchildren who do not qualify for dedicated school transport, are now using supported and/or commercial bus services.” (RTP)
One local authority described ‘streamlining’ the way they delivered school bus services as a result of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme, while another felt there may have been a potentially negative impact on home to school transport (although neither respondent elaborated any further). Concerns over possible detrimental impacts on dedicated school transport provision were also expressed by a respondent in another sector, with changes to catchment areas for eligibility noted as a risk. However, it should be noted that this was not evidenced within the stakeholder feedback, as no local authority who took part identified this as an impact.
Other observers felt that it would be important to monitor the impact the scheme has on free school transport provision going forward to ensure suitable services continue to be available where required:
“It [is] important to monitor the impact it is having on contracted school services and if it has seen a change in the services being provided. In particular, in rural areas…where the frequency of commercial bus services can be limited. It is important, even during the current financial challenges, to make sure a frequent and reliable bus is still available for those young people entitled to one.” (RTP)
Capacity on Registered/Subsidised Local Bus Services
Where local bus services open to the public were used to provide school transport, it was noted that, in some areas there had been an increase in the numbers of young people using the services, creating capacity issues on certain routes around the start and end of the school day. This made it difficult for those children entitled to free school transport to access their allocated services. In some cases, this had caused difficulties for pupils being able to get home, and school staff were said to have to manage the process in some areas:
“At some schools the increase in demand for seats has resulted in senior school staff having to manage numbers to ensure that entitled pupils can travel. At some primary schools, staff have had to take pupils home because the buses were full. There is now an expectation from pupils and parents that transport will be available for all because they can travel free. Pupils are choosing which bus they want to travel on rather than sticking to the bus they have been allocated. This potentially affects the distribution of passengers and causes capacity issues that wouldn’t exist normally.” (Local Authority)
Other local authorities noted that capacity issues created by school pupils using services buses to travel to/from school had impacted them. In this instance, the issue is likely caused by pupils using the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme rather than being an issue relative to those eligible for free school transport. A few suggested they had had to provide additional capacity around the school day in order to cope with increased demand from school pupils, with one also noting that the scheme had resulted in a loss in fares from those pupils that had not been eligible for free school transport:
“We have seen capacity issues being created on [routes servicing schools] which has impacted on the local authority having to provide additional capacity to cater for demand… we have required as a local authority to increase the capacity of… school day bus services to cater for pupils who would have previously walked but can now avail themselves due to the free cost of transport.” (Local Authority)
“A duplicate vehicle was required on a registered school transport route… contracted by the Council. This resulted in additional costs… per year for the Council. There was a slight loss in fares from fare-paying pupils on some registered school transport services.” (Local Authority)
Anti-Social Behaviour
Consistent with perceptions of increased anti-social behaviour highlighted by young people, parents/carers, and other bus users (presented in the Year One Evaluation Report), a range of professional stakeholders, including bus operators, local authorities and RTPs discussed anti-social behaviour as an unintended consequence of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme. This issue was discussed by respondents throughout the survey feedback. Issues included a perceived increase in young people ‘hanging around’ bus stops, travelling together in large groups, and/or focussing anti-social behaviour and vandalism on-board buses and at stops/stations:
“There have been security issues around [city] bus station, behaviour issues and groups of young people travelling collectively. These have been linked to the introduction of the bus card, enabling more young people to more easily congregate in larger groups in the city centre.” (RTP)
A few respondents also suggested that the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme, in facilitating young people to travel further and to new places, may have resulted in anti-social behaviour becoming increasingly problematic in some areas:
“Larger volumes generally of young people in and around bus stops or key interchange locations. Locally, this has also led to increases in anti-social behaviour in locations where previously this didn't occur to the same extent.” (Bus Operator)
One respondent suggested that anti-social behaviour issues in and around buses fluctuated across the year, with increases in both bus usage and instances of anti-social behaviour being experienced during the winter. It was more generally felt that some young people were using the bus as a “meeting point” (Representative Body) and a place to hang out, or as a “mobile gang hut” (RTP), rather than as a mode of transport per se.
Professional stakeholders suggested that the instances of anti-social behaviour negatively impacted their own organisation/services, other bus passengers and bus drivers:
“The largest unintended impact on our services is unfortunately a significant increase in reports of anti-social behaviour on our services which corresponds with the introduction of the scheme… This has a corresponding negative impact on our paying customers, with increased reports of customers feeling less safe when travelling on our services than they used to. Additionally, and at a time when driver recruitment has faced some well publicised challenges nationally, this has had a negative impact on the wellbeing and safety of our drivers, particularly those working on backshifts.” (Bus Operator)
One respondent also suggested that this issue may be pushing some passengers to use other modes of transportation, typically rail - although it should be noted this was based on perception and anecdotal evidence rather than patronage data.
Several respondents, however, did indicate that any increase in anti-social behaviour on and around buses may also be partly driven by other factors, including the reduction/removal of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. Others indicated that anti-social behaviour existed before the introduction of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme and so had not been caused by this:
“Whilst the introduction of free travel is considered a success, with more younger people travelling by bus, anecdotal evidence and some feedback from bus operators suggests that there have been increases in anti-social behaviour involving younger passengers on buses at some times of the day and in some locations. This spike does appear to correlate with the timing of the introduction of free travel, however, we also recognise that other factors may have been at play including post-Covid lockdown restrictions being reduced.” (RTP)
In some areas, it was felt the issue was not severe and only had a minimal impact, while one respondent felt that the benefits of the scheme outweighed any issues caused by anti-social behaviour:
“I believe the benefits have outweighed any negative impact the scheme may have created. Whilst we have seen an increase in anti-social behaviour by a small minority of older young people we have seen an excellent take up of the travel pass within the city.” (Local Authority)
Impact of Challenges on Other Passengers
While a few professional stakeholder organisations suggested that bus use had reduced for other groups, including adults, those aged 60+ and disabled passengers, compared to pre-Covid periods, this was not necessarily attributable to the introduction of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme. Rather, the pandemic, changes to working patterns/locations (e.g. the rise in home working), and potential health risks for those vulnerable to Covid-19 were cited as contributory factors:
“It is difficult to tell what the full impact has been as bus services continue to be impacted by low passenger numbers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst we have seen an increase in Under 22 journeys on some services, older people are travelling less.” (Local Authority)
There was some concern, however, that increased incidents of anti-social behaviour and large volumes of young people travelling on-board buses may make some travellers less likely to return to bus use or to avoid using certain services/travelling at particular times:
“There are some unintended consequences, especially in relation to the discouragement of older people and women from travelling at certain times of the day. We have received anecdotal evidence… about young people congregating on buses, especially on colder days, to take advantage of the warmth, free wifi, and charging facilities - and the impacts this has on other users.” (RTP)
In addition, capacity issues were also highlighted as problematic for other bus users. This was an issue for particularly busy services at peak times (as noted above, often corresponding with the start/end of the school day), as well as for rural areas or where demand responsive transport (DRT) services were provided. It appears that the scheme has created competition for such services:
“At the time that U22 was introduced the Council was piloting a digital demand responsive transport service... The introduction of free travel led to more young people booking the service to the detriment of other customers who were unable to book... Some adult/older customers complained about this, especially in some instances where young people booked the DRT service to travel to/from school rather than using their school bus passes to travel on the school bus.” (Local Authority)
Potential negative issues for other bus users, particularly older students, were also raised in relation to the continued availability of particular ticket types. There were concerns that some ticket options (for example student discount tickets) may be removed as most of the passengers previously using these were now eligible for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme. However, such a change would negatively impact older students, with respondents keen to ensure that such ticket options were retained to ensure older students can afford to use the bus.
Policing Scheme Users’ Behaviour
In order to tackle perceived anti-social and other poor behaviour perpetrated by young people travelling on buses, several stakeholders suggested that penalties needed to be introduced. While this issue was discussed by a range of sectors, respondents tended to come from those responsible for operating the scheme (such as bus operators and local authorities), or those representing operators and travel/transport delivery in their region (such as representative bodies and RTPs).
Suggestions put forward were generally consistent with those given by young people and their families, with the main suggestion being a way to either temporarily suspend or permanently remove a young persons’ access to the scheme if they behaved inappropriately:
“Take steps to address the increase in anti-social behaviour by developing a process or mechanism which works alongside operators and the police to suspend or permanently remove access to the scheme for those involved in such behaviour.” (Bus Operator)
One respondent also suggested that consideration should be given to limiting the times of day when the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme could be used.
Extended Coverage and Eligibility
A common theme for those representing island communities was a desire for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme to be extended to include free travel on-board ferries. It was felt this was necessary to provide equity for young people living on islands, to allow young islanders to access opportunities similarly to those who live on the mainland, as well as to access mainland Scotland and the opportunities provided:
“Scheme should be extended to include ferry services to island communities. (No public bus services on smaller islands). The ferries are the ‘bus service’ for our young people. Children and young people still have to pay to travel within community.” (Local Authority)
A few respondents also expressed a desire for the scheme to be expanded to include rail travel (or for a similar product/provision to be established):
“We would welcome the expansion of the scheme to also include train travel given the high levels of train use within our local authority.” (Local Authority)
In addition to expanding the scheme to additional travel modes, a few respondents suggested that the upper age restriction for eligibility should be raised (with up to age 26 being suggested), and/or that the scheme should be extended to all students/ those still in education and training, regardless of age:
“While free travel for U22s has been welcomed in supporting positive outcomes for younger people, it must be recognised that transport affordability remains a key issue for young people beyond this age-group, many of who continue to be in education or training and new into employment and are more likely to be on lower incomes. It may therefore be pertinent to consider either extending the free scheme or introducing a transitional fare scheme that continues to support affordable travel for young people beyond the age of 22.” (RTP)
This same RTP highlighted that financial barrier to transport remained prevalent for other groups, and stressed the need for this to be considered within transport policy:
“It is important however to recognise that public transport affordability remains a barrier for many other vulnerable and potentially low-income groups aged 22 and above, such as unpaid carers, volunteers, job-seekers and young people leaving care who are seeking employment opportunities. It is therefore paramount that discussions around fares and any opportunity for making public transport more affordable for wider groups, remains high on the transport agenda.” (RTP)
Meeting Needs of Young People and Others
It was suggested that current service provision did not meet the demand generated by, or travel patterns of young people, and that operators would need to try and adapt delivery in future:
“Think the U22 is starting to create completely new travel patterns, so for our organisation it is learning the trends/demands and ensuring we have a network that caters to it.” (Bus Operator)
Related to this, another respondent suggested that there was a need to include night-buses within the scope of the scheme, both to support evening travel and the safety of women and girls:
“Whilst recognising the challenges of providing night bus services and offering concession card holders access to premium fare services, it would provide benefits... For example, making it more affordable to come into the city centre on a regular basis for evenings out. Also, it will help with city centre safety, especially young women and girls who may choose to walk home and avoid the cost of a taxi.” (RTP)
The inclusion of night buses was also desirable to a few focus group respondents, as outlined in the Year One Evaluation Report. In addition, focus group respondents noted that they preferred using the bus at night (compared to walking or other modes of public transport) due to the accessibility of the driver and other passengers, making them feel safer.
While developing bus services to meet the demand from/needs of young people, one stakeholder highlighted the importance of ensuring services continued to meet the needs of, and benefit, all users going forward. They stressed that changes should not be to the detriment to of others.
Welfare Concerns
While welfare concerns were discussed with more frequency by young people and their families (with findings presented in the Year One Evaluation Report), a few stakeholders also noted that the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme generated concerns about young people being able to travel some distance from home without parental consent:
“Only concern is with regards to Child Protection and ability to travel around Scotland free and access areas not normally accessible to them.” (Local Authority)
It should be noted, however, that bus driver guidance and training was developed and delivered by Barnardo’s Scotland. This included general safeguarding and the signs of exploitation, as well as reporting protocols for any concerns. A Child Rights and Welfare Impact Assessment was also conducted before the introduction of the scheme.
Reimbursement Rates
Finally, a few stakeholders discussed the need for reimbursement rates to be maintained at sufficient levels to support service provision. It was also suggested that consideration of the economic differences between rural and urban operation was needed:
“In areas where services are more frequent, there is scope to grow patronage. Conversely, in rural areas where services are less frequent, transport operators are possibly worse off… Consideration should be given to the economic differences between rural and urban operation when considering the reimbursement rates.” (Local Authority)
It was stressed that any reduction in the reimbursement rate would be likely to negatively impact the sustainability of services and place them at risk:
“What can't happen now is that government chooses to manage costs of the scheme by reducing operator reimbursement as has happened with the scheme for older and disabled people. If this scheme follows suit it puts more pressure on fare paying passengers and puts services at risk.” (Representative Body)