Introduction

The Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme (also known as the Under 22s scheme) commenced on 31 January 2022. All children and young people aged 5-21 resident in Scotland (including asylum seekers and refugees) are eligible to apply.

The policy aims of the scheme are to encourage more sustainable travel behaviours and tackle issues related to transport poverty and access to services by:

• embedding positive sustainable travel behaviours;
• opening up social, education, employment and leisure opportunities; and
• reducing household outgoings to aid children, particularly those living in poverty.

Year One Evaluation

As part of the ongoing monitoring of the scheme, Transport Scotland commissioned a Year One Evaluation. The aim was to consider the short and medium term impacts and outcomes of the scheme after it had been operational for one year, and to provide insights into how the policy was working in practice.

The evaluation adopted a mixed methods approach, as follows:

• A repeat of the pre-introduction baseline survey with young people and parents/carers - referred to here as the ‘follow-up survey’, where 10,875 valid responses were received;
• Focus groups with young people, parents/carers and other bus users, involving 42 participants in total;
• A consultation-based survey with professional stakeholders; and
• Analysis of available secondary data.

This summary report collates the key findings from across all research strands. More detailed findings are presented in separate analysis reports - one dedicated to the consultation survey with professional stakeholders, and the other addressing all other research strands.

Report Presentation

Full details on the various methodologies used, sample profiles achieved, and limitations/caveats associated with the work are included in the corresponding analysis reports. The remainder of this summary report sets out the key findings as they relate to the three main policy aims.